Hometown Mentor: Covington teacher goes above and beyond for students, parents

COVINGTON, Va. (WDBJ) - 2020 has been a difficult year for everyone, especially teachers. In the spring, they were forced to transition from in-person learning to virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic.

All across our hometowns, teachers continue working to reach their students and positively impact them. That includes the WDBJ7 Hometown Mentor for the month of September.

Devon Morris grew up in Covington. From a young age, she knew she wanted to return to her hometown to teach. So, for the past decade, that is exactly what she’s been doing. Currently, she’s a teacher at Edgemont Primary School.

“I just loved it here. I loved all my teachers. I had a really great experience, so actually when I got my degree, I didn’t apply anywhere else,” she said.

Kimberly Nickle nominated Mrs. Morris to be a hometown mentor. Nickle has had two children in Morris’s class - her daughter, who graduated in 2020, and her son, who had Morris last year.

It was during the pandemic that Nickle said Morris stepped up even more to help her students.

“She went out of her way to help me, or when we needed something she was always there,” Nickle said.

When schools closed in the spring, Morris said she was heartbroken because she didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to her students. So she decided to hand write letters and send them to each and every one of them.

It is one of many reasons we are proud to honor Devon Morris as the September Hometown Mentor.

If you know a teacher, coach, or mentor making a positive difference in our hometowns, send Josh Birch an email at jbirch@wdbj7.com or nominate them here.

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