From student to teacher to lifelong mentor -- Mrs. Maxine Quinn's journey at North Cove schools came full circle.
She first walked the halls of the former K-12 North Cove school as a student, returned as an educator and dedicated her career to shaping young minds in the very place that shaped her. Her story is a testament to the lasting impact of a school and a community that she loves.
Quinn reminisces about her early elementary years where she had many great teachers, including her fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Patty Hollifield.
"She was the inspiration for me to have a dream of becoming a teacher. I hoped at this early age that one day I could be as good of a teacher as Mrs. Hollifield. She made learning fun and could explain things that made learning easy for me as well as my classmates," Quinn said.
During her high school years, Quinn played on the varsity North Cove Lady Lions basketball team as a guard. During her sophomore year and at 16 years old, she became a school bus driver. She would help transport elementary and high school students to and from school.
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During her junior year, Quinn got the opportunity to travel to Paris, France with her high school foreign language class. In order to pay for the trip, Quinn used her bus driver pay, her weekend job at Linville Caverns and help from her parents.
Quinn's senior year was a transition for all the students at North Cove, as all the high school students were moved into the new consolidated high school, McDowell High School.
After graduating, Quinn attended Appalachian State University, receiving a Teaching Fellows Scholarship. Quinn graduated from Appalachian State in 1977 and received a bachelor's degree in elementary education.
In the fall of that year, Quinn received a call about a job opening as a teacher assistant at North Cove Elementary. She ended up working as an assistant teacher for two months before being offered an interim position at Old Fort Elementary.
She worked as an interim teacher for one year before moving to Nebo Elementary. She remained there for a year, but due to enrollment numbers, she was moved to Eastfield Elementary.
In 1980, Quinn applied for a transfer to North Cove Elementary, as this school is where her heart was since it was always her home school. "At the 'old North Cove,' the building was old, the floors creaked, no air conditioning, no screens on the windows, nothing fancy. But I was so happy with my teaching position at the best school ever."
While at North Cove, Quinn had experience teaching kindergarten through 2nd grade.
Quinn said 2004 was a sad but exciting year, as "we all packed all our stuff and we moved into a brand new building, the new North Cove Elementary."
Quinn said, "it was hard to leave a school where I had been a student starting in first grade and able to teach at the old school I loved. But, this new school was a modern, fresh and innovative place to work. It also offered many more opportunities to our students and community."
While at North Cove, Quinn was voted as Teacher of the Year twice and went on to seek a master's degree in elementary education from Western Carolina University.
In 2008, after 31 years of teaching, Quinn retired.
She couldn't stay away long. After six months she signed up to substitute teach and worked in interim teaching positions. Most recently, she worked as a part-time tutor and continues to this day volunteering in her granddaughter's class weekly.
"I have been blessed to have McDowell County Schools as a big part of my life," Quinn said. "Starting as a first grade student to becoming a teacher for 31 years, and truly achieving my dream job when I was a student in fifth grade. From my first years as a student to my college graduation and a successful teaching career, I have the McDowell County School system and my North Cove community to thank for my success as a student and a career teacher."
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