If the impact a person makes is measured by the lives they touch, then Nancy Weaver has changed her corner of the world.
From working as an attendance clerk to assistant principal’s secretary to principal’s secretary, Weaver’s career at Clements has spanned decades. This year, she will retire, leaving behind a legacy of dedication and kindness, and a school and community better for it.
“I like to be able to help people,” Weaver said. “I like to be able to help the teachers if they need something. It’s rewarding for me to be able to help them with whatever they need.”
Weaver’s day-to-day involves everything from ordering supplies to catering meals for teachers — the work is constant and wide-reaching, so much so that faculty joke that it’s Weaver who actually runs the school.
“I will always remember how much effort and care she puts into planning events for people, whether they themselves are retiring, or all the staff lunches, or breakfasts, and things like that,” math teacher Ricardo Garcia said. “I know that she works really, really hard to make sure that those events are successful.”
Garcia calls Weaver an “unsung hero” — someone who does effective, efficient work, without needing to be in the spotlight. Often, Weaver is responsible for helping shine the spotlight on others.
“All the days that honor people, like Assistant Principals Week, Custodians Day, Special Education Day, all the people who get honored throughout the year, Mrs. Weaver makes sure those things happen,” Assistant Principal Ashli Taylor said. “She does a lot for our school community to make people feel honored and valued, and she does that all with a smile, even though I know it’s a lot of work for her.”
Taylor remembers that when she was considering applying for the assistant principal position, it was Weaver who encouraged her.
“[She] told me that she thought that I was going to be really good and that I should consider it,” Taylor said. “The words of encouragement that she gave me kind of gave me a little push to go ahead and try, and now here I am.”
Most members of the administrative team and staff have never known Clements without Weaver in the front office, there to answer questions or offer support. To them, in Principal Tara Baker’s words, Weaver has been the “face of Clements”.
“I’ve only been in this job for a little over a year, and she knows aspects of my job more than I do, which is normal,” Baker said. “She’s been here for 33 years, so I really relied on her for a lot of training.”
Beyond workplace interactions, Baker and Weaver have shared conversations about family and kids, and Baker even stayed a weekend at Weaver’s lake house. In the future, Baker said she can envision going out on a coffee or lunch date with Weaver just to catch up.
“We’ve gotten really, really close over the course of the year that we’ve worked closely together,” Baker said. “She is just one that I can confide in. She’s one that I can joke with. She is always caring for others in a way that you just can’t explain. We just have so many laughs throughout the day.”
Baker said that Weaver makes the whole office a “welcoming place” – to many in the front office, Weaver is like family.
“Just working with her for three years, I had an amazing co-worker, but I also have a friend now,” bookkeeper Kelly Metzger said. “She makes it to where we’ve worked so well together because she’s very thoughtful.”
Perhaps it’s Metzger who sums up Weaver’s legacy best – she calls Weaver the GOAT, greatest of all time. Weaver has been a mentor and a friend, but most profoundly, a uniquely supportive and empathetic presence.
“When I went on leave, the same day that we had this fire, my mother went into the hospital that winter, and I had no idea even where to find paperwork or who to contact, because it had been so long since I’d done any leave paperwork,” English teacher Glenys McMennamy said. “[Mrs. Weaver] just printed it for me and gave it to our principal at the time.”
Weaver’s connection to the community stems from a painful loss in her life – her son died of cancer in 2009. Although Weaver remembers it as a “really, really rough” time, she said she learned a lot, too.
“One time, we hired a teacher, and between the time she was hired and the time she started, her daughter was killed in a car accident,” Weaver said. “I just, right up front, gave her a hug and said, ‘I’ve been through this if you ever need anything’. We became very close and talked a lot, and were able to connect and support each other and be there for each other through that. That’s happened with several different teachers here where I’ve been able to support them with cancer or loss of a child or family member.”
McMennamy remembers that when she had to request leave, Weaver was totally calm – not only did Weaver help with the paperwork, but she also provided a listening ear. It’s this “enduring kindness”, in McMennamy’s words, that will be remembered in the community even after Weaver retires.
“She is this person that people know is still cheerful and yet has gone through great trials herself,” McMennamy said. “[She] is still this gentle, kind person, not embittered. I think that her being a kind presence through day in, day out is a great model for other people, too.”
Through personal tragedy and daily ups and downs, Weaver is known for being steady and down-to-earth. Micky Wong describes Weaver as “easygoing”, even when being bombarded with things to do, or when strapping together her shoes with rubber bands – a true story that Wong remembers fondly.
“I learned that from her,” Wong said. “Everything is like, ‘okay, that’s fine’, nothing hard. She can drop everything and run and do something even though she’s eating her lunch. If somebody calls, she just run and left her lunch there. She’s just always a calm nature.”
Weaver said that her retirement is a “bittersweet feeling” – while she’s looking forward to spending more time with her family, and being there for the birth of her 12th grandchild, Clements carries countless memories, from the days when her children would hang out in her office to the annual teacher events she organizes. Her parting words are simply a wish for kindness.
“Keep being a big family and being kind and loving each other and supporting each other,” Weaver said. “Be there for each other and make it a happy place to be, a joyful place to be every day.”
Without Weaver’s encouragement, it’s entirely possible that Taylor would not be an AP today. Taylor said that Weaver makes people feel seen and feel important – that will be Weaver’s legacy.
“Mrs. Weaver has worn a lot of hats around the building since I’ve been here,” Taylor said. “She’s worked in pretty much every administrator’s office that I can think of. She’s helped hundreds of staff members, thousands of students. She’s touched many lives in the years that she’s been at Clements. I think she’ll be remembered as someone who is just really important to our school and to our community.”
A community is not simply the sum of the people in it – a community is made up of countless fond memories, hugs, jokes, and unspoken gratitude for the lives changed by one person, doing what they do best.
“I’m just glad that she is going to step into this next journey of her life, that she can enjoy her kids and her grandkids, and she can have time to spend with her inner circle, her family,” Baker said. “I’m really happy for her. I’m gonna miss her, but I’m happy for her.”
