Scott Caldwell

            Scott Caldwell is the manager of a location in a company that sells multiple snack foods.  He is also a baseball coach at Hidden Valley and he has had that position for 12 years.  He has been a fan of baseball since he was 7 years old when his father showed it to him.  He is very acknowledged in baseball and in his daily job.  In his line of duty Mr. Caldwell knows what to do to succeed in either baseball or in his cookie company.

            Mr. Caldwell is very driven and competitive, and he teaches friends and family to be so.  Once, his daughter got a concussion, but still managed to finish her cheerleading performance.  “If you start something, you finish it,” said Mr. Caldwell, 47.

            His job is a manager of people, he has around fifteen sales representatives that report to him in the company and he reports back to his boss. In part of his job he has something that he calls the Three C’s of Leadership. First he casts a vision for his employees, which means that people need to set goals and shoot for them. The second is to clear the road, which means that as a manager you need to help clear all the obstacles in order for them to reach their goal. The last C is come from behind, which what he meant by saying that is ignore all insults and everything from the people up top and come up, and start to sell more than them.

            At Hidden Valley High School Mr. Caldwell has been coaching for about twelve years. One thing that he said, “You’re a coach in everything you do,” which means everything that you do help show others the way. His favorite memory as a coach is when he first moved here, because everything was new to him and it was a very different and interesting experience. The hardest thing about being a coach in his opinion was finding a way to manage time between his day time job and being a coach. As a young boy his father introduced him to baseball, and in school his favorite memory as a player was when he was the winning pitcher in the league championship. He also said, “I decided to keep the competitive spirit, it’s always good to keep the competitive spirit.”

            

Ben Davis

     Ben Davis has been a doctor for 11 years. He specializes in family medicine at Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Dr. Davis is also a wound care doctor for the department of surgery. He doesn’t perform large surgeries, but he might occasionally help other doctors. Dr. Davis will perform some bed side surgeries, though. Also, Dr. Davis has gone on many mission trips to places such as Haiti, Mexico, Ecuador, and Guatemala. On his mission trips, Dr. Davis gives medical care to people in need of a healthier life.

     Dr. Davis has been working on his career since he was 31 years old. He said, “I’ve always wanted to be a doctor since I was a young kid.” Dr. Davis claims that there are many challenges of being a doctor, such as dealing with stubborn patients and difficult insurance companies. But along with all the challenges come very rewarding moments, such as breaking through barriers, doing fun procedures and being able to witness patients heal and recover. Dr. Davis said, “Seeing a patient get better is very, very rewarding and exciting.”

     Dr. Davis said that his main inspiration to become a doctor came from his father. He said, “I always knew I wanted to do something to help people’s health.” After reading over his father’s old cases, Dr. Davis realized his passion to become a doctor. He has a wife named Jill and two daughters named Caroline and Samone. He cares about everyone’s well-being and he loves to help his patients see the upside of things. Dr. Davis received his medical training at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, UCLA and Ross University in Portsmouth, Dominica.

     Dr. Davis is a dedicated, thoughtful doctor. He cares about people’s health and loves being able to help them. Dr. Davis’ ability and passion to save lives and better people’s health make him a Hidden Hero. 

Tim McSherry

Tim McSherry has been a paramedic for 37 years. He started as a volunteer EMT in Roanoke City in 1980. Mr. McSherry began to work for a paid job in 1984. He works 24 hour shifts, with four days off a week at Fire Station 1 on Franklin and Elm Avenue. Mr. McSherry is the captain of his station, and is certified to teach. He has two sons, and a daughter. When not working, Mr. McSherry spends his free time coaching volleyball and playing racquetball.

This kind of job really shows how selfless you have to be, “We have to be ready to get up when the buzzer hits and immediately go from a dead sleep to emergency mode,” he said. Not only is Mr. McSherry selfless, but he is dedicated to what he does, “I rattle, but I don’t rattle easily, when you’re not sure what to do stand up, step back, take a deep breath, in with the good air out with the bad air,” said Mr. McSherry.

During stressful times, and tragic endings, Mr. McSherry and his crew have to be sympathetic towards one another. He said, “I love sitting down with my guys and having a good cry. It keeps us sane.” Mr. McSherry believes the most important thing about his job is, “Going home, getting a paycheck, nah! Once in a while we do something that actually makes a difference in somebody’s life.”

Mr. McSherry is courageous, and a hardworking paramedic. He dedicates his time to help families and people daily, and expects nothing in return. Mr. McSherry has a passion to help people which makes him a hidden hero!

Tim Axley

Tim Axley is a technology teacher at Hidden Valley Middle School in Roanoke, VA.  Although he is a new teacher in Roanoke, having moved here in 2015, Mr. Axley has been teaching for 26 years.  He acquired his master’s degree in education at the Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA.  Mr. Axley is a hidden hero for his outstanding devotion to the children in his classes and for his inventive ability to create an engaging class that allows students to enjoy learning.  Students leave his class with plenty of knowledge concerning valuable skills for the future, along with a positive attitude.

Mr Axley never thought about the possibility of being a teacher as an adult during his childhood, but the idea first occurred to him when he was taking a leadership class in the Navy.  The class developed a determination to teach within him, and he eventually made his way to the middle-school classroom.  Mr. Axley teaches middle-school technology because he learns alongside the students, he can comfortably teach the students, and he enjoys using the technology in the classroom.  “Being a teacher forces me to learn,” says Mr. Axley, when asked how he taught his classes; he learns how to operate new forms of technology and software through his classes, and then he teaches the students using the knowledge he discovered.  This method is innovative to format a Tech ED curriculum.  Being able to comfortably teach is very important, for according to the wise Mr. Axley, “If you aren’t happy with a group of people, you won’t perform at your peak efficiency.”

Mr. Axley is very interested in his job, and the determination to educate students about the uses of technology is apparent in the time spent after school or in one-on-one discussions with students to help them understand the material.  This is shown when he said, “I think about what I said, what I did, what I could have done,” showing persistence in perfecting the ever-changing curriculum for technology.  Mr. Axley makes the best decisions in achieving this goal by incorporating communication and collaboration into his classes.  He has encountered several classes in which the students have no desire to understand the material being discussed in the class, but it only challenges him further to educate the students.  Mr. Axley had a student who slept through his classes, so he talked to the child about the issue.  The student said he couldn’t sleep at night, so Mr. Axley would come to school early in the morning to let the student sleep before school began instead of sleeping in class, demonstrating his devotion to his students.  Mr. Axley, discussing his feelings about teaching, said, “I’m getting more comfortable with teaching middle school than I was before…if it stops getting better, I’m not doing what I need to do.” 

Mr. Axley is a humorous, passionate man who lights up the path before him by educating students and providing an outlet to people who need it.  He tries to understand the difficulties of the students and helps them through their problems while teaching others about the amazing abilities of the technology around them.  Mr. Axley has encouraged young people to fight for a brighter future, and he deserves to be recognized for those deeds. 

Thomas Schmitt

            Thomas Schmitt, 48, has been a math teacher for 27 years. He was born in Pittsburg Pennsylvania. Mr. Schmitt got his teaching degree at the California State University of Pennsylvania and then moved to South Hill, Virginia. He first taught at Park View High School in South Hill, VA. After South Hill he moved to Roanoke and bounced around jobs teaching at different place before he settled at Hidden Valley High School. He is married to his wife Theresa and has one son, Tommy.

            “When I was in college I had an experience where I was given the opportunity to work with younger kids, helping them out with math issues they were having at the time,” Mr. Schmitt said. He said after that experience, “I wanted to pursue a career in education instead of accounting.”

            When Mr. Schmitt finally got his teaching degree he began to teach at Park View High School and eventually found himself here teaching at Hidden Valley and at Virginia Western Community College. Mr. Schmitt said that at times teaching can be stressful and “The most difficult part of my job is trying to relate information to students in a way that is meaningful to them.” He went on to say that the most rewarding part of teaching is when he helps a student succeed. Mr. Schmitt hopes to become a principle before he retires.

            Mr. Schmitt is genuinely dedicated to his work and has worked for years improving the Roanoke County community through educating and inspiring the youth. It’s because of his tireless efforts and motivation that he should be recognized a Hidden Hero.

Stevie Woods

            Stevie Woods has been a Latin teacher at Hidden Valley for 4 years. She is a dedicated teacher who lives in Roanoke with her 13 year-old daughter. Ms. Woods took on the Environmental Club her second year teaching after another teacher was not able to run the club anymore. Although the club does many things, its main aspect is recycling. Ms. Woods collects and recycles bags full of water bottles, paper, and other recyclable things that the students and teachers use throughout the school.

            “I realized that nobody was collecting the recycling anymore…so I just decided…that I’ll start a club, and if it’s going to be anything I’ll do the Environmental Club.” Ms. Woods said. She takes all of the recycling to the Brambelton Center herself with her personal car. She said that whenever the bins at the center are full, she has to leave it in her car until they clear up. The club also plants trees in places like Garst Mill Park. She tries to get the students involved with it by making a contest of who can collect the most plastic bags and take them to Kroger, or this year she is making a spirit week dedicated to the club.

            Ms. Woods has used Titan 21 to inform people about it and raise money for the club. As the club has grown, the school has started to provide bags, which has helped save the club money. The club has also gotten other people involved like Deca. She says, “It has inspired other students to branch off with it… I’d like to see the program grow,” Ms. Woods says, “The staff itself is really supportive of it, and they’re patient with me.” She achieved a lot for Hidden Valley and the people with the school by starting the Environmental Club. 

Shari Coolbaugh

            Dr. Shari Coolbaugh is an optometrist in Roanoke, Virginia. In the past she has volunteered at the Free Health Clinic, Rescue Mission, Straight Street, and the Blue Ridge Center. She frequently goes on mission trips to all different types of places to help support people in need. In addition to that, Dr. Coolbaugh, along with her husband and four children, sponsors four children through a program called Compassion. She and her family try to go on at least one mission trip per year, and she usually incorporates her work into those trips.

            Dr. Coolbaugh dedicates a lot of her time to helping improve the places she travels to on her mission trips, including providing glasses for people who may have not even known that they had a vision impairment. “It’s so rewarding. I never get tired of it. I never want to stop, and the line of people waiting for glasses just keeps growing and growing. I always just hope there are enough good pairs for everyone,” she said. When discussing how she helps out, Dr. Coolbaugh is humble about what she does. “It’s just such a blessing. The people are by far my favorite part about the trips. Eating what they eat and meeting them, it changes you and the way you think. It broadens your scope,” Dr. Coolbaugh said. “It changes us more than them.”

            The Coolbaugh family sponsors two children from Rwanda, along with two others from Combo. When they sponsor a child they provide a certain amount of money per month for each child. Dr. Coolbaugh mentioned that children can’t get an education until they are sponsored by someone. When asked about her main goal to achieve by sponsoring the kids she said, “For them to have a relationship with God, to be able to provide for themselves and their families, and get an education.”

The first child Dr. Coolbaugh started sponsoring, named Rukundo, has graduated out of the Compassion program and now has a job as a tailor. When a child turns 21, they graduate out of the Compassion program, and no further communication services are provided. “We weren’t sure what had happened to him since he left the program. I was so excited when I heard from him. I was at work, and they called me out while I had a patient and said that I had to come to the phone for just a minute. I got to facetime Rukundo, and when he saw me on the camera he just put his head down and wept. I broke down in the middle of work and cried,” Dr. Coolbaugh said.

Dr. Coolbaugh is a passionate and dedicated person. Her work on mission trips and her charitable contributions to the children she sponsors makes a difference in many different places and many different lives. Her inspirational and ambitious attitude are what make Dr. Coolbaugh a Hidden Hero!