Retired St. Hilary teacher celebrated for her positive attitude, passion for students

Belvedere teacher Betsy Shelton Hooker retired from St. Hilary School in January. (Amelia Plumb / For The Ark)

When Betsy Shelton Hooker reflects on her more than two decades teaching at St. Hilary School, one word comes to mind: joy. Working with her students in the classroom and with her colleagues on the tight-knit campus, she says, brought her a sense of happiness she doesn’t think she could have found in another job.

“You can’t get that kind of feeling you get working with kids in anything else,” Shelton Hooker says.

The 73-year-old Belvedere resident retired in January after 23 years at the school, where she worked in a variety of roles in the classroom and also served an eight-year stint in the admissions office. Her colleagues, who plan to celebrate her retirement at an April 17 party in the school’s Tarantino Hall, say her joyful approach to her job shined through every day.

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