Yvonne Blevins knew what students needed to succeed

31-year educator/administrator enters ‘Hall of Fame’

Sylvia ‘Yvonne’ Blevins had a passion for helping every child reach their potential and had the rare ability of doing just that both as a teacher and as an administrator for Harford County Public Schools for more than 30 years.

Born and raised in Eudora, Arkansas, Yvonne, as she is known, graduated from high school as valedictorian in 1960 and went to Arkansas Agricultural, Mechanical and Normal (AM&N) College in Pine Bluff, now the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies in 1964. That same year, Yvonne married her college sweetheart, Harold Blevins, and directly went to teaching history at a local high school in the fall.

The Blevins, now married for nearly 45 years, resided in Arkansas where Yvonne taught and Harold worked for the United States Marshal’s Office for a brief time until Harold was drafted into the army during the Vietnam War in 1965. Harold returned to the United States and was stationed in Edgewood, Maryland in 1967, where Yvonne often came to visit. She quickly fell in love with Harford County, particularly the progressiveness of the public school system, so she decided to apply for a teaching position in the area. She was hired right away by Paul Skarsenski, principal at Aberdeen Junior High School at the time, to teach social studies and English in the fall of 1967.

At the time, Aberdeen Junior High School encompassed seventh and eighth graders and operated in a core program, involving a quasi-block schedule. Mrs. Blevins taught eighth grade at the school for several years, before shifting to the new Aberdeen Middle School in 1972. A member of the steering committee responsible for transitioning the new middle school, Yvonne was involved in the establishment of ‘team teaching’ where teams of teachers were charged with teaching English and social studies or science and mathematics to two groups of students.

“Always well-prepared and organized in her assignments, she easily gained the respect and admiration of her students, their parents and her fellow professionals,” said Frank Stultz who worked with Yvonne at Aberdeen Middle and later Fallston High. “Mrs. Blevins was a knowledgeable, highly regarded and well-respected classroom instructor.”

In 1977, Yvonne was promoted to assistant principal at Havre de Grace Middle School where she served for about six years before moving to the same position at Havre de Grace High School for two years. From there, Mrs. Blevins became assistant principal at Fallston High School, where she worked closely with Frank Stultz again, who was principal during this time. Stultz described Yvonne as a hardworking, talented and committed professional who was effective in her administrative duties and contributed to the success of the Fallston school community. Additionally, she earned her Master’s degree in School Management and Supervision from Loyola College during this time.

Yvonne moved to the Central Office in 1989, where she served as Supervisor of Personnel in Human Resources for nearly nine years until her retirement in 1998. In this position, Mrs. Blevins was responsible for facilitating the recruitment of secondary and elementary teacher applicants, screening applications and making recommendations to principals. She was also in charge of employee benefits and the sick leave bank, in addition to overseeing the recertification process for teachers. Yvonne worked closely with principals to interview candidates for promotions and was involved in negotiations with the state teachers association.

“She became my mentor and one of my favorite people who I had the utmost respect for,” Dawn Hoderfield, former assistant to Yvonne and current safety and security secretary for HCPS. “Her dedication, loyalty, and work ethic are without a doubt her greatest tribute to the students in HCPS.”

“Nothing was ever too much for Yvonne,” Hoderfield continued. “I nicknamed her ‘Busy’ and it stuck! She walked around that building on Gordon Street like she had roller skates on her feet.”

An active member of her church in Harford County, an avid reader and a gardener, Yvonne had many close friends throughout her career with Harford County Public Schools and left a profound impact on each school she worked for and on the school system as a whole. One of her many companions, Audrey Simpson, current Assistant Supervisor of Benefits, worked with Mrs. Blevins for nearly ten years at the Central Office.

“Technology had not advanced to the stage it is today, so much of our work was paper and Yvonne made sure every “i” was dotted and every “t” was crossed and could be counted on to document everything,” Audrey noted. “She worked long hours to ensure Harford County hired the best qualified applicant for our schools and children.”

Upon her retirement, Yvonne immediately moved back to Arkansas. Her husband had already moved back to the state in 1995 when he was offered a Division I coaching position at the University of Arkansas. While the couple never had children of their own, Yvonne touched the lives of thousands of students who continue to keep in touch with her years later. Currently, she is teaching 11th grade advanced placement history at Pine Bluff High School, where she has continued reaching out to students since 2000.

“I’m a teacher at heart and my primary goal is always to help every child to feel comfortable by himself and to succeed,” Yvonne said. “As a teacher, I can do this directly.”