The 2023-2024 school year is approaching its end and with that so are the careers of two teachers at Dover Area High School (DAHS). English teacher Kent James and social studies teacher Douglas Hoover have been teachers, coaches, and advisors in the district for over thirty years.

James has been involved with Dover since the late 80’s, while Hoover has been with the school since the 90’s. They will be ending their time in the classroom at the end of this school year. Hoover said, “We did begin our careers by coaching football together. Our junior high team won the county championship in 1989. We were so proud.” From the start they began their careers in DAHS, and coincidentally are able to retire at the same time. 

James knew it was his time, though his retirement is not the end of his working life. James said, “I felt it was time to move on and try something else in life. I am also starting to get old!”

James recognizes that he will have to fill his days with something once he leaves DAHS. “I will have to go out and find another job after I retire from teaching. The bills are not going to stop coming in just because I retired.” 

James’s classroom skills will serve him well in his next adventure. He said, “You need to have patience, understanding, compassion, adaptability, and a good sense of humor” to be a teacher. 

Hoover has enjoyed his time at Dover. He said, “Dover has been a great place to teach because we had a lot of freedom to manage our curriculum and classroom. Dover is a wonderful community and our problems here are less than other areas of the country.”