Superintendent Vernon "Skip" Hobbs remembers what a difference education made for him and hopes that throughout his career he gave back some of those same opportunities to students. The first person to attend college in his blue collar family, Hobbs was influenced by his high school social studies teacher, a former WWII bomber pilot, who encouraged him to first graduate from college and then become an officer in the armed services, rather than enlisting right out of high school. So that is what he did. A native of Canton, NY, Hobbs earned a bachelor's degree, majoring in government with a minor in history, and a master's degree and certificate of advanced study in educational administration from St. Lawrence University. After graduating with his bachelor's, he spent two years as an active duty military officer in the Army assigned to the Navy as a liaison officer, commanding a medical detachment charged with the evacuation, care and treatment of wounded from Vietnam. Hobbs' father, Marine Corps Sgt. Vernon Bernard Davies, was his role model. Davies, a WWII combat veteran, reentered the service when his wife was killed in a train accident. At the time, Skip was only two weeks old, so his grandparents took over raising him. While working as a child protective investigator after the service, Hobbs decided his true calling was in education. He began with a job in Canton teaching secondary social studies, then fourth- and fifth-grades, and coached varsity cross country, track and swimming. He also coached pee-wee hockey and baseball. "I believe the lessons learned in athletics discipline the mind and body to be successful in academics and life," he said. In the early 1980s, Hobbs took his first administrative position as K-12 principal in the St. Regis Falls School District. He moved on to an elementary principal position in a larger school, then business administrator in Schoharie, NY. Before moving to Holley in 1996, Hobbs was superintendent of Fort Ann School District in the Lake George area. "I like the atmosphere in small towns where people work together and strive to make their communities the best they can be," he said. A year after coming to Holley, Hobbs helped pass a building project referendum by a two-to-one margin. The following year, the project to join the primary and intermediate buildings was designed, and by the end of year three it was built. "I'm most proud of the elementary building/ renovation project, grounds improvements, road development, and the state-of-the-art computer technology and infrastructure it brought to this district," said Hobbs. The superintendent is also proud of the team of administrators he has worked with since arriving. "I feel very honored to have worked with such dedicated administrators, board members, faculty and staff since I've been here," Hobbs said. "I had the privilege of recruiting 100 percent of the new administrative team and over 50 percent of the faculty and staff that will continue school improvement initiatives and the provision of quality support services." His biggest challenge over the past eight years has been overcoming the district's fiscal limitations. "Trying to increase opportunities for students in a climate of limited resources, increased mandates, higher academic standards and with dwindling support from the state becomes more difficult every year," he said. "The fiscal challenges are enormous in light of the expectations, but we have the right team in place to overcome these obstacles and continue improving." Hobbs, the most senior superintendent in Orleans County and the second most senior in the Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES, said he hoped to stay on a few more years, but health concerns prompted him to retire. "My wife, Lana, and I plan to stay in Holley and be active members of the community." They will also spend time with their daughter, Yvette, her husband, Jeff, and their granddaughters, Genevieve, 3 and Isabelle, 1, in Washington, D.C. Eventually, Hobbs would like to do graduate level teaching and pursue some of his own areas of academic development as well. "I'm looking at retirement as a beginning, not an end," he said. "Spending time with family and friends, dedicating time to community improvement projects, and taking the time to learn about new things - I'm looking forward to all of it." |
