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Martinsville City Public Schools announces Teacher of the Year

Photo of Beverly Woody receiving her Teacher of the Year award. (Copyright 2025 by Martinsville City Public Schools - All rights reserved.)

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Martinsville City Public Schools surprised their Teacher of the Year with an award on Thursday morning!

The teacher awarded as the district’s Teacher of the Year is Beverly Woody. She grew up in rural Patrick County, where the nearest community college at the time was 30 miles away, and she had no transportation. She had always dreamed of being a teacher, but after graduating high school, her only option was to work in the textile mill her mother worked at.

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However, Beverly knew this wasn’t the life she wanted to live. After years of working at the mill, it shut down due to overseas competition, but Beverly knew this wasn’t the end. In 1999, she signed up for classes under the Trade Readjustment Act at Patrick & Henry Community College and earned an associate’s degree in 18 months, while also graduating summa cum laude. Following her graduation, she was hired as a deputy clerk for the Virginia court system, where she worked for 15 years.

By 2005, Old Dominion had set up a satellite campus at P&HCC, and Beverly decided to further her education. By attending classes after work and on Saturdays, Beverly graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Professional Writing in 2010.

However, she didn’t reach her dream of becoming a teacher quite yet. It wasn’t until she was 50 that she enrolled in a program at Regent University where she managed to earn her teacher licensure and get a master’s in education. Following this, she became a long-term substitute at Snow Creek and Henry Elementary schools. In July 2021, she was finally hired as a US history teacher at Martinsville Middle School.

During her time at the middle school, she started the Martinsville Speech and Debate Team, became the student council advisor, and published a book for the first time in July 2024.

Her notes of encouragement, care for her students, and the inspiring story that she has told have earned her the distinction of being Martinsville City Public School’s Teacher of the Year.