For many families, including my own, Sandy Spears was a sparkling light in the raising of their children. Our own experiences with her came from her serving as principal first of Lancaster High School and then of Lancaster Middle School during the B.E.s’ tenure in both institutions. She was the embodiment of the finest qualities of an educational professional, one who assiduously did her work, always exuding the happiness that it brought her.
Sandy was a native of Hurley, in the far reaches of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, almost to the Kentucky state line. She graduated from Radford University, setting her career goals on becoming a teacher.
She received a master of education in educational administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and began her teaching career in the field of physical education in the Chesterfield County Public Schools and later the Norfolk City Public Schools, before her fortuitous move to the Lancaster County Public Schools.
As a school principal, Sandy had an encyclopedic knowledge of how a school should be run. She was abreast of all the latest developments in her profession and she truly knew her students and their parents. She welcomed questions and enjoyed being able to explain policies and procedures to students and families alike.
Accessibility was vital to Sandy’s view of her role as an administrator. She was available to help wherever needed, frequently attending late night and weekend activities related to supporting her students. At public events, Sandy could be found sitting at a card table, ready and willing to offer advice, or simply to chat. Her commitment to the welfare of her students and faculty was apparent to everyone who knew her.
The students recognized and appreciated the level of her dedication. At promotion ceremonies from the middle school or graduation exercises at the high school, as they walked across the stage to receive their certificates or diplomas, almost always they would embrace their mentor and friend, “Mrs. Spears.” Students respected her and were proud to demonstrate their devotion and appreciation for the efforts she made to help them achieve their goals in life.
As an educator, Sandy imbued in her students a love of learning, an abiding commitment to integrity and a profound understanding of their own worth as individuals in the world about them. She was their greatest cheerleader, as well as their ever-present counselor to guide them along their path to becoming productive members of society.
Sandy and her husband, Lin, who also spent his early career teaching physical education, before joining the state police where he was assigned to the Northern Neck, made their home in Ball’s Neck. They enjoyed rural life and being part of the community, where truly everyone knew them.
When she retired from the Lancaster County school system, Sandy said that she wanted to spend her newfound leisure time gardening and that she even thought of raising produce to sell at farm markets as locally home grown and sourced. She was creative in all that she did, including the making of quilts, a traditional characteristic of the culture of many folks indigenous to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Last month, Sandy died at what for many of us was the surprising age of 77. She has left an abiding legacy of care and compassion for the youth of our community, and a stellar example for those in the teaching profession of the meaning of dedication to the welfare of their students.
Sandra Smith Spears, March 7, 1947 – March 30, 2024. R.I.P.
