What teacher do you know that can twirl a fire baton? She also learned how to play guitar and taught herself. Special education teacher, Mrs. McCoy has done all this.
McCoy has a few hidden talents such as singing where she won several competitions. She actually can play 6 instruments including clarinet starting in the 5th grade. She learned how to play the piano in the 8th grade, moved to Bass Clarinet her junior year, and the Contra Bass Clarinet her senior year. The Contra Bass Clarinet was so tall that she had to sit on 2 chairs to reach the keys.
McCoy mainly sang with the choir at school and church. She also sang karaoke and won a few contests. McCoy’s main strength is singing Madonna songs.
After graduating from high school, Mrs. McCoy decided to learn guitar. She simply bought a guitar and a lesson book and eventually could play some songs, even though she never took any lessons!
Mrs. McCoy can also twirl anything. She has used batons, flags, and even swords. She draws the lines at rifles though. McCoy was a majorette in high school and twirled batons (what Highland HS has). She did that for 2 years, and learned a lot about working on a team. Flag Corp was in college at Marshall University where she twirled large flags. She got to march in Marshall University’s first game in their new stadium, as well as the NCAA Division 3 Championship Game in Savannah Georgia.
McCoy enjoys her summers by camping, hiking, and spending time outside. McCoy has camped in multiple places in West Virginia. She has hiked in Ohio, West Virginia, Colorado, Utah, Michigan, and Canada. Her favorite places were the New River Gorge (WV) and all of the trails she has hiked in Colorado and Utah.
One of her favorite memories from teaching is receiving handwritten notes of appreciation from students.
Some of her hobbies include gardening, yoga, and making crafts like sewing, handmade cards, and painting ceramics.
McCoy participated in the marching and concert band, choir, and NHS. She was a majorette, and Feature Twirler when she was in high school. When she was in college she was in Flag Corps, Lambda Alpha Epsilon, and student government.
If McCoy could go anywhere in the world, it would be to Europe because she enjoys the culture and would like to experience a different lifestyle.
Mrs.McCoy’s ultimate goal is to take a backpacking trip across Europe. She would not be able to leave Europe without a trip to France. She used to speak some French, but hasn’t spoken it for quite a while. She wants to take a 2 month trip there so she could explore as much as possible.
If McCoy’s teaching career didn’t work out, she would be working in the legal field because she used to be a paralegal. She was fortunate to travel and testify in court for her company. McCoy got to travel to Rhode Island, NYC, and Florida.
If Mrs. McCoy could go back to any time period, it would be the 80s and 90s because the music was so much better then.
Some activities McCoy would never attempt are zip lining, bungee jumping, riding in a hot air balloon, or flying or riding in a small airplane. She thought about joining the military, but her fear of heights would not go over well if had to parachute out of a plane.
McCoy wants all new teachers or students remember to “Look for joy in every moment”
Mrs. McCoy has been teaching for 16 years and has been at Fredericktown for 14 years. Mrs.McCoy knew that she wanted to be a teacher In high school,because she was a majorette instructor for elementary and middle school students. She enjoyed helping kids learn a new skill and gain confidence in their abilities, which seemed natural. She became a teacher in 2009.
McCoy earned her bachelor’s degree at Marshall University and her master’s at West Virginia University (MA).
