Mark Alexander
Longtime Economics, Human geography teacher, and coach Mark Alexander reflects on his career and upcoming retirement
Mark Alexander has been a familiar face in the halls of County for the majority of his thirty-year career. As a teacher of economics, he has had almost every student in the school at some point.
In an email to staff, principal Dr. Michelle Lutrell referred to Alexander as a “dedicated member of the Social Science Department, [who] has remained committed to his professional growth, consistently volunteering to teach new courses and excelling across all instructional levels to meet the needs of every student in his classroom.”
Alexander grew up in Maryland with his parents and two brothers and experienced a love of history from an early age. “I was more of a history and English guy than anything else,” Alexander said. I liked to visit Battlefields and do that stuff.”
At 18, Alexander decided to join the Air Force. “I didn’t have a lot of other options, [and] I wasn’t a great student,” Alexander said.
He was deployed a total of 21 times, six of which were active duty. One deployment in the Air Force is typically about four to twelve months. Alexander was an E-6 Tech Sergeant, and worked as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, for which he was awarded the Global War on Terrorism Medal.
After retiring, Alexander briefly went to work for World Airways and then went to study at the University of Mary Washington to become a teacher, all before he turned 30.
Perhaps Alexander’s most lasting effect on the school is his coaching career. Alexander coached basketball for 28 years and golf for four years. Under Alexander, County’s basketball team won multiple district and regional titles, even going all the way to the state championship back in 2022. “We had a good run there at the end, and I was able to do it with my sons here,” Alexander said. They were really good players here for us, and it was fun to watch them grow as players and love the game as much as I do.” Alexander is still involved with basketball as an assistant coach and plans to continue that into his retirement.
Alexander’s accomplishments as golf coach include three district championships, two regional championships, and three state championships.
Despite having taught multiple generations of students, Alexander maintains that during his thirty years, they haven’t changed at all. “The only difference maker is probably the cell phones, technology, but it’s still the same thing,” Alexander said. You’re dealing with kids, and kids make good choices, bad choices, and you just got to hopefully help them make the best choices they can and learn as much as they can and try to keep them excited about that.”
Outside of teaching and coaching, Alexander enjoys working outside, fishing, and golfing. His best golf score ever is a 72.
Another one of Alexander’s passions is travel, something he hopes to do more of in his retirement. Alexander noted that his favorite places he has been include London, Germany, and Malaysia. He and his wife hope to travel to South America and Australia. “Just kind of travel around, keep seeing the world, and enjoy it,” Alexander said.
Tracy Cody
After various zoom calls between the high schoolers and elementary schoolers, Tracy Cody’s annual trip to Evergreen Mill was in session. Her students worked with the younger kids to create history books related to the founding fathers and revolutionary times, and after the third virtual meeting, the high schoolers took a bus over to the elementary school. The younger kids cheered when the twelfth graders reached the school, an announcement sounding their arrival over the intercom. After a book editing session followed by lunch, the kids got ready to exit the building for recess, something they always try to incorporate during the trip. “Recess! Time to play!” said one of Cody’s twelfth graders, and the students piled into the outdoors, grabbing jump ropes and playing different games. A moment that Cody would never forget.
Cody, a teacher at County who taught various subjects like special education and social studies, is retiring after this year.
One of Cody’s stand out moments in her career occurred with an activity they had done for years, where they took social studies students to Evergreen Mill Elementary School where her daughter taught fourth grade, and they would make history books. The little kids would draw pictures and the bigger kids would write stories.
“I had students jumping rope in their heels,” Cody said.
“My first year and my last year will always be very special,” Cody said. Teaching hybrid classes in 2020 and 2021 was one of her favorite eras to teach because the students had to work really hard, which challenged the staff to really make it work. She said that made the year they came back special because they were able to go back and see everybody and work on a regular schedule.
“I think that kids today are more savvy than they were in ‘96,” Cody said. “I think that our knowledge base is greater, we have more access to a whole lot more information.”
“When I first started teaching, we did seven 50-minute classes, and I liked that a lot because you saw everybody every day,” Cody said. “But we can do more things in a 90-minute block.”
As for her retirement plans, Cody says she’ll “probably stay here in Loudoun for a while.”
“I’m going to do some travelling. I have spent a lot of time hiking all over the world, so I’m going to do some more hiking,” Cody said. “I’m going to go to Alaska when I leave in July. I don’t know where I’ll go after that.”
“I have loved teaching, I love this building. I’ve made a lot of friends,” Cody said. “It’s never a good time to leave something that you teach, something that you like, but there’s a right time.”
“It’s been a great experience. It’s home, it’s family.”
Laura DeGroat
Special education teacher Laura DeGroat outlines her career with students and retirement plans
Situated in geometry and government classes, Laura DeGroat has taught a variety of students and watched them grow throughout her 25 years of teaching. She’s amicable among students and has encouraged students to thrive in their classes.
Prior to teaching at LCHS, DeGroat had begun her teaching career in her hometown in New York before teaching in Fairfax County. She initially taught general education, but in her recent years, had moved to special education. Taking some time away from teaching, she took a break and spent time with her kids. She ultimately settled on LCHS because she wanted to teach high school and did so for eight years.
DeGroat says that making time for hobbies is difficult and upon retirement, it’ll open up her calendar. “I like to spend time with friends, spend time with my family, play with our dog. Pretty much now I’ll have more time to be able to do things that I want to do.”
Although a busy schedule comes with teaching, she reflects on her achievements and growth within her career. She finds it most accomplishing to assist students in their growth in the classroom. “I just feel like I’ve helped kids in class,” she said. “To support them, figure out what they needed and just help them learn. That’s really great.”
DeGroat said she will “miss kids the most,” as she enjoys catching up with students in the hallways. “I love seeing kids in the hallways,” she said, including “just saying hello.”
The most memorable part of DeGroat’s career has been watching her previous freshman students grow into seniors. “This year I switched from geometry to government, and that’s been a real blessing for me because I got to work with seniors, and a lot of them I [have] had as freshman, sophomores,” DeGroat said. “None of you as a senior are the same as when you were as a freshman or sophomore. And I got to see that.”
DeGroat shares a piece of advice for students as they start their life following high school: “Find your passion in life. I hope that whatever you major in, whatever you do, whatever you work or apprentice or whatever, it’s something that you love. And your job, whatever you choose to do, should be something that you love to do. And because it brings joy. It shouldn’t be a burden, although it’s hard work, but it should bring joy. I’m one of those lucky people who always knew she was going to be a teacher and I’ve always loved every minute of it, and that’s important, even when it’s really hard. If you love it and it’s joyful.”
Bill Johns
NJROTC senior naval science instructor Bill Johns retiring after eight years at county
On May 14, to honor Johns, the entire NJROTC body held a ceremony for him in the annex parking lot. After eight years that only tell of a fraction of an amazing career, Captain Bill Johns is retiring after this school year.
Before working at county Johns was a member of his high school’s NJROTC program, which is what inspired him to go into service. “I experienced a lighter version of this [NJROTC], because what you do is amazing. It’s nothing like what I did. We only had a couple of teams,” Johns said.
After enjoying himself so much during his own tenure in NJROTC, Johns wanted to continue to be a part of that. “I wanted to be a part of giving back,” Johns said, “so what better way to do that than to be on the other end of that in a classroom?”
Prior to his tenure at County, Johns served in the Navy, being tasked with finding enemy submarines. Afterwards, Johns began his teaching career at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1976, the university has since been a mecca for those hoping to work in national security.
While Johns found it difficult to conjure up a single standout memory, he noted that “seeing you all graduate, seeing you all achieve your dreams, either in post-secondary education, athletics, [or] other things. Putting it all together, probably the most memorable combined experience is the laughter, the fun that we’ve all had in class, and the growth going from brand new NS1 followers to leaders, all the leaders. And then demonstrating your potential so that when you move on from here, we are all, especially myself, confident that you’re going to make this world a better place,” Johns said.
During his retirement, Johns plans to travel, and get some work done around the house. “I have a lot of projects at home that I’ve been tasked to do,” Johns said. “I’m looking forward to it because it’s fun.”
Despite this, Johns noted he will still miss his post in the NJROTC program. “It has truly been an honor and privilege for me to be with you during this time, and I’m going to miss it,” Johns said.
“We’re going to miss you,” several of his students replied.
Megan Brinton, Elle Shin, Natalie Logan, Andrew Wilson, Michael Du Plessis, Jordan Garman, Clara Manning, and Athishaya Srinivasan contributed to this story.
Tony Rayburn
Tony Rayburn will retire at the end of this school year. He has worked at County since 2016, teaching Health/PE 10 and Driver’s Education. According to Dr. Michelle Luttrell, Rayburn “earned the respect of students and colleagues alike as a great teacher, trusted colleague, and true team player.”
As head varsity football coach from 2016 to 2019, Rayburn led “a period of significant program growth,” according to Luttrell, which included a co-district Championship in 2017, and regional playoff appearances in both 2017 and 2018.
After retirement, Rayburn still plans to stay busy, perhaps working as a fitness specialist. Thinking back to what made teaching and coaching special, Rayburn says that relationships were most meaningful. “I think just everybody having a good time with the students, with other coaches, other teachers and the day-to-day,” Rayburn said.
Alexa Sterner and Sofia Crespin contributed to this story.
