This year, three beloved faculty and staff members are retiring after a combined 50+ years of service to Flint Hill. Take a moment to read about their remarkable contributions to our community and the lasting impact they’ve had on generations of Huskies.
Lisa Hoff’s bright smile has lit up the halls of Flint Hill’s Lower School since 2002, when her son Nic Kamali ’17 started Junior Kindergarten. Her early days as a dedicated parent volunteer deeply connected her to the school community, ultimately inspiring her to bring her talents to the faculty. She loved being in the same place as her boys, Nic and Andreas H’20, first serving as a substitute teacher before joining the faculty full-time in 2006 as a 2nd Grade Teacher.
Throughout a career that spans more than 30 years, Mrs. Hoff’s heart has always been in early education. This lifelong passion is in her blood; born and raised in Texas, she comes from a long line of educators. Both her mother and grandfather were longtime teachers, and Lisa always knew she would follow in their footsteps, even holding her own “classes” as a child to “teach” other neighborhood kids inside a tent in her family’s garage. At Flint Hill, she brought that same childhood joy to our youngest Huskies, treasuring the chance to watch them rapidly grow and transform. She is known for fostering a tight-knit classroom community where her students feel safe to take risks, make mistakes, and champion one another.
Over the years, Mrs. Hoff has become a true pillar of the Lower School, bringing her dedication and warmth to a variety of roles — including Kindergarten Assistant Teacher, Kindergarten Teacher, 1st Grade Assistant Teacher, and Lower School Spanish Teacher. She is beautifully capping off her time at Flint Hill right where her heart has always been: as the lead Kindergarten Teacher in the KA classroom. For many of those years, her mother would even travel all the way from Texas to help her get her classroom set up and decorated for the incoming school year, making the space a true labor of family love. It is only fitting, then, that as Lisa closes this chapter, she is returning to her Texas roots to spend cherished, well-deserved time with the mother who helped her inspire so many young minds.
Even though she has stepped into many different roles during her time at Flint Hill, she has always kept the well-being of her students at the forefront. She never hesitates to ask for help — or to offer it — always striving to give back more than she receives. She consistently brings her best self to her work, remaining completely open and ready to learn new skills along the way.
Her lasting impact is perhaps most visible in the way her relationships endure long after her students move on. On the first day of school each year, former students can be seen hastening their pace down the hallway just to get their traditional “first day hug” from Mrs. Hoff. Whether they are rising lower schoolers or tall Upper School students returning to where it all began, they always make a point to stop by her classroom first. Witnessing these lasting connections is a beautiful, heartwarming reminder that Mrs. Hoff is one of those truly unforgettable teachers who shapes a child’s life forever. As she now leaves Flint Hill to return to her Texas roots and spend cherished time with her mother, she leaves behind a legacy that will echo through our halls for generations to come.
Doug Schoemer’s retirement closes a truly memorable — and entertaining — chapter in Flint Hill School’s history. Since he arrived in 2008, he has made an indelible impact across all three divisions. He began as a 5th Grade teacher and, with his very tall stature, became known as the “gentle giant.” He later moved to the Middle School to teach 7th and 8th Grade U.S. History and then the Upper School to teach history and economics. His profound dedication was recognized early on when he earned the Driving Spirit Award in 2011 amid thunderous student applause.
Before teaching, Doug enjoyed a successful career in the music business, an energy he directly translated into his curriculum. He created the elective Twentieth Century United States History Told Through Popular Music for students to learn about social change and cultural shifts with a soundtrack of the times, and he authored the framework for a Global Art History course, blending culture, art, and academics to get students genuinely “jazzed” about learning.
Doug’s classes were legendary for their engagement and humor. He routinely dyed his hair vibrant colors (blue, pink, orange, you name it) as a reward for top test averages or to boost morale during pandemic remote learning. Seeing Doug’s colorful hair was a sign that he always had students’ learning top of mind (and head, literally).
His creative teaching was effective, like when he used Twitter to have 11th-graders reenact debates over Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” with the tag #painefhs. In AP Economics, his clever humor transformed dry concepts into laugh-out-loud lessons, making supply and demand curves feel like an inside joke.
His positive impact and involvement spanned every corner of campus life. He mentored numerous student organizations, including the Investment, Husky Music Appreciation, Movie, Future Business Leaders of America, and bipartisan political clubs. On the athletic fields, he spent eight years as the Girls’ Varsity Basketball assistant coach and led various JV and Middle School tennis and basketball teams.
His enthusiasm for the Senior Project program was evident. As a Team Leader from 2014 to 2019, he consistently guided students through real-world challenges with encouraging words, even stepping up in his final year to mentor seven seniors instead of the typical two or three.
Doug will be missed just as much by his peers, who fondly remember “Dougz Plugz,” his short-lived but much-anticipated newsletter of recommendations for what to watch on streaming services, delivered with his trademark mix of wit and sincerity. While Flint Hill will certainly feel a little quieter without him, Doug’s legacy of joy and deep commitment to education will remain forever.
This year, we bid a fond farewell to Melissa Riley, Advancement Officer and Advancement Data Specialist, who is retiring after a decade of service. Since joining the community in April 2016, Melissa has left an indelible mark across multiple departments through her versatility, profound work ethic, and dedication to Flint Hill.
Melissa’s journey at Flint Hill began as a part-time, long-term substitute in the Lower School Office. Her sharp administrative talents were quickly recognized, and by August 2016, she transitioned into a full-time role in the Business Office as the Assistant to the Head of School for Finance and Operations. In this capacity, Melissa took on the critically important and massive responsibility of managing the Junior Kindergarten and AfterCare licensing process. She mastered the regulations and successfully established an efficient, reliable system for compliance and approval. Her passion for learning new systems made her an invaluable asset to the Business Office; she routinely collaborated across departments, providing essential data to streamline internal audits and ensuring employee profile changes were seamlessly updated across all platforms.
In July 2022, Melissa brought her administrative and technical strengths to the Advancement team. As an Advancement Officer and Advancement Data Specialist, she became a key part of our institutional data management and event logistics. Her attention to detail and organizational prowess ensured that advancement events were executed flawlessly. Behind the scenes, she managed vital tasks that ultimately guaranteed the success of major school projects.
Beyond her technical expertise, Melissa’s true contribution to Flint Hill lies in her character. She has been a consummate team player, always willing to step up to help colleagues and generously mentoring staff members to help them learn the ropes and transition smoothly into the school community. She showed her co-workers that the little things matter with thoughtful gestures, always remembering birthdays and celebrating milestones, large and small. As Melissa enters retirement, Flint Hill celebrates 10 years of her reliable professionalism and care that have truly strengthened our organization.