In recent years, Kempsville High School increased engagement in the Virginia Beach community, in part, due to Mrs. Sarah Routsis, who has spent time building up her Kempsville Community as a former student, teacher, and advisor.
Mrs. Routsis was a 2006 Kempsville High School graduate. During her time at Kempsville High School (KHS), Ms. Routsis was a member of Field Hockey, the American Red Cross, and DECA, a marketing club.
While reminiscing about her time in DECA as a student, Routsis jokes, “What a lot of students don’t know is that Mrs. Timlin was actually my marketing teacher. Just in case anyone forgot. I always joke with Mrs. Timlin that a lot of students think we are the same age but yes in fact she was my marketing teacher.”
After graduating from Longwood University, Mrs. Routsis returned to KHS as a teacher for the Entrepreneurship and Business Academy (EBA) Introduction course. When the first graduating class of the EBA started their senior year, Mrs. Routsis made the switch from the introduction course to the EBA Internship course, where she has grown the academy since 2019.
Mrs. Routsis’s work in the EBA has given her irreplaceable lessons that come into play in her personal life and career. A large part of her work is networking with community members to connect students to opportunities to maximize their experience at Kempsville.
Mrs. Routsis says, “This is kind of the job of connecting with community partners who will host students for job shadow day, host students for an internship, or even be a guest speaker for a master class. Connecting that simply connects our students to opportunities. The more contacts that I kind of fill up in my rolodex, if you will, the more opportunities that come our students’ way.”
With maximizing these opportunities, comes a long process that goes into making these viable opportunities for students. The opportunities that are received can be challenging to make happen. They have to fit the curriculum and be verified for safety, as this is of the utmost importance to Mrs. Routsis.
Mrs. Routsis mentioned that “sometimes it can be a little overwhelming because sometimes it’s not always the best fit.”
EBA Coordinator, Mrs. Routsis’s supervisor, Mrs. Meghan Timlin was quick to praise Mrs. Routsis’s involvement in Kempsville and the community.
“Mrs. Routsis is willing to talk to anyone, and that helps make connections on behalf of our students.” said Ms. Timlin, Mrs. Routsis’s supervisor, “She’s got a busy family life but will always go on a field trip, chaperone, participate or make connections.”
Through her innate ability to build up the KHS community, Mrs. Routsis has been able to support students in their different paths of life.
Ms. Timlin points out that Mrs. Routsis “takes a personal interest in our students and she really works to help them meet their goals. We have kids that go down different paths during their time here and she’s really supportive.”
KHS teacher and coworker of Mrs. Routsis, Mrs. Ashley Bauman says Routsis’s “involvement in the academy will have a lasting impact because she has helped shape these kids’ lives.”
As time goes on, Mrs. Bauman is a believer that students will come back to Kempsville in the coming years, in a part of the work Mrs. Routsis has contributed to all students in the academy.
Mrs. Routsis shows up for the Kempsville community and students, despite her hectic personal life. The Entrepreneurship and Business Academy and Kempsville High School owes Mrs. Routsis a big thank you for her continuous dedication to the community.
