Mrs. Veronica Hartless is the Kempsville teacher of the year for the 2015-2016 school year and, for some teachers and students, there’s no question as to why she has been chosen. “The Teacher of the Year should be a good teacher, have a good relationship with their students, and have great test scores,” said Paul Behson, physics teacher.

The process of choosing teacher of the year is a collaboration between five past teachers of the year and the principal. They go through the nominees and choose a handful of candidates, and then they go through each candidate’s application, which includes four essays, a list of contributions to the school and more. Once a teacher is chosen, they have the opportunity to continue on in the competition for the citywide teacher of the year and even possibly become the teacher of the year for the state.

According to Jon Hehl, biology teacher, the teacher of the year should be able to “relate to the students.” He feels that “so much time is spent doing things that don’t benefit the kids,” and believes that Hartless is recognized as Teacher of the Year because “she is the total package, kids love her, and she contributes on so many levels to the success of Kempsville High School.”

Hartless teaches Math Analysis and Algebra II, as well as being the head of the Math Department. She is responsible for the engraving, inventory, and coding of about 2000 calculators. She is also a part of the Instructional Support Team, which involves training other teachers on the newest teaching strategies. Along with all of the aforementioned responsibilities, she tutors non-stop to help any student struggling with math. Hartless believes that a good teacher “should have patience, be willing to explain thoroughly, and be enthusiastic about what they do and how they do it.”