So who's the new female English teacher hanging around football coach Don Hyde a lot? Before you start spreading rumors, she's his wife Stacey.
Yes, as if one Hyde weren't enough around here, we now have two, but Coach Hyde will probably tell you she's better looking, and she definitely knows what she's doing after teaching four years at Gatesville High School (ninth and eleventh grades), a year at Hubbard HS (tenth/eleventh grades), and the last seven at Midway with sophomores.
Stacey grew up in College Station, where she attended A&M Consolidated HS before moving to Gatesville as a freshman; there she graduated in 1988 and later earned her degree at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton.
So why did she leave Midway for La Vega?
"In many ways, I have been a part of the La Vega athletic program for the last eight years because of my husband," Stacey said. "I completely enjoyed my time at Midway; however, I wanted the opportunity to work with my husband and become a bigger part of the lives of the students he works with on a daily basis. Then while working at the Regional Powerlifting meet in the spring, I told Mr. Sexton I was thinking of coming over, and he told me they just had an English job open."
And the rest is history...so what will she be teaching, and what are herr expectations for the new job?
"I will be teaching English II and English II Pre-Ap, and my goal is to develop a good relationship with my students and hopefully help them develop an appreciation for reading and literature. I also hope to show them that they can have fun in my class while learning at the same time."
So far, Stacey likes knowing several members of the staff and administration and that all of the staff she has been introduced to so far whom she didn't know are so friendly and welcoming.
As with all those in education, the former Hornet has her favorite embarrassing story. Let her tell it: "I become very animated while teaching, especially literature, and one time while acting out a scene from Julius Caesar I began to sit in my chair and completely missed it! I fell to the floor and according to my students simply disappeared--no one was hurt, but it was completely funny."
She absolutely loves spending time with her family because her children are the bright spot of a sometimes long day, and she has kept more than busy preparing room 207 for school and visiting Eric Balch in Dallas with Coach Hyde as the powerlifting coach finishes rehab in his goal to resume his teaching and coaching schedule at the high school.