The Richmonder 25: Sherrie McKeithan's impact reaches every corner of Westover Hills

At the end of the last day of the 2025-2026 school year, Sherrie McKeithan grabbed her high-visibility safety vest and a large stop sign from a room inside Westover Hills Elementary School before stepping outside to guide traffic. She was met by lines of parents and cars gathered in front of the building, ready to retrieve their kids.

Sitting in one of the cars was a father who called out to McKeithan, reaching out to hand her a photo of his son, Javon. He was graduating from the school and moving on to the 6th grade. 

“His dad said, ‘Javon wanted me to give you this so that you can remember him.’ And I told his dad, ‘I’ll always remember him. I never forget my students,’” she said.

This is in addition to the many gifts and letters she received on the last day from students, their families, and staff who revere her for the love and support they say she unequivocally has for them.

“It's really empowering to see how she is with the kids and with the community,” said Alexandra Thompson, an art teacher at the school.

McKeithan is an instructional assistant who has served at the school for the last 13 years, leaving an impact on students, staff and families ever since. 

Her job requires her to help teach students with special needs, but she has worked with all students throughout the school, she said, pulling students for additional group work, and filling in when teachers are unavailable across different subjects. 

“I don't look at kids with disabilities any differently than I look at general education kids because I feel that they all are here to learn and they can learn regardless of what their disabilities are,” she said. “So I teach them the same way.”

But her work extends far beyond the classroom, like being a crossing guard at the start and end of the school day. She’s also involved in students’ extracurricular activities, like being the coach of the school’s step team, facilitating trivia for students and helping oversee the school’s Girls on the Run chapter, a national nonprofit that designs physical programs that teaches life skills to girls in the third through eighth grades.

It all allows her to become a recognizable face students and families regularly see.

During this past school year, she subbed for a teacher’s kindergarten class from November to January, while running the programs and serving as a crossing guard. 

McKeithan said she couldn't overstate her love for the kids, emphasizing that the children at Westover Hills are “very special,” especially as some of the students zoned to the school come from lower-income areas like the Belt Atlantic apartments. The area has experienced at least three shootings since the start of this year, two of which were fatal. 

“I let them know no matter where you live, you are still somebody. And the world is yours. You just gotta go out and get it,” she said, teary-eyed. 

A superpower of McKeithan emphasized by her colleagues was her ability to work with student's behaviors. She said, “they know what I tolerate and what I don’t tolerate.”

She referenced a student with special needs who had difficulty communicating, resorting to spitting, hitting or throwing items at teachers. In one instance, she said the student – who was taller than her – pinned her to the wall.

“He couldn’t talk,” she said. “I think he was getting frustrated because he was trying to tell me something.” 

The experience nearly made her want to leave work, she said, which required school Principal Nokomis Alston to ask her to stay. McKeithan worked with members from the division’s central office to get the student a communication device and use visual pictures telling him what he should and should not do. She added that the student’s mother was supportive throughout the way.

Over time, she said the student got better at controlling his behavior.

“We broke him out of it,” she said.

Sarah Grissom, a fourth grade reading teacher at the school, said McKeithan helped a student experiencing housing insecurities and “orchestrated making sure that child had everything he needed,” including new eyeglasses, toiletries and Christmas presents. 

Staff has also frequently called McKeithan when a student was upset, knowing she could calm students down and allow them to listen to instructions.

“She has a way with the kids that they respect her, they listen to her even when she has a hard conversation with them,” said Thompson. “I kind of look up to her and try to be more like her if I can.”

McKeithan’s love further extends to her colleagues. Grissom got her education in early literacy and began teaching first grade when she arrived at the school in 2023. A few years later she was told she had to teach fourth grade, a daunting task for the teacher. 

“She was like, ‘You’re gonna be fine. We are in this together,’” she recalled McKeithan telling her. 

Grissom was moving to New York to teach, making the last day an emotional one for her and students. She said McKeithan organized a surprise party for her, bringing her friends and family from Farmville to Richmond to celebrate her. 

“She had everyone from Westover there and contacted my roommates. My parents came into town,” she said through tears. “She’s just always looking out for other people. Literally every day she is the best.”

Thompson shared that when her father passed away, McKeithan became a shoulder to cry on and a safe space to vent. 

Staff and families said that McKeithan is woven into the fabric of the school community. On the last day of school, children were sobbing at the fact that the school year was over, hugging her and keeping her in conversations in an attempt to extend the school day. The same energy was poured onto her by parents, who also made sure to greet, hug or wave to her after picking up their kid from school. 

“I'm just available for everyone, whatever the case may be. I'm here to support no matter what,” she said. “I just love what I do.”

Contact Reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin at vifatusin@richmonder.org

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