Who is ready to meet some more amazing moms in our area? Today we feature the head women’s basketball coach at Wake Forest, a go-getter who can teach a 6-month old child to swim, and a mom who teachers everything from skin care to pilates to education.
We introduce you to Jen, Darlene, and April …
Jen Hoover
For Jen Hoover, being the head women’s basketball coach at her alma mater is a dream come true. However, that dream comes second to her devotion to her family and her passion to be a mentor to young women. As the head coach of the Wake Forest women’s basketball team, Jen balances her duties as a wife and mother with the responsibility of shaping the lives of the young women on her team.
At home, she is wife to her husband of 13 years, John, and mom to 8-year-old Maggie. John and Maggie can always be found in the stands at LJVM Coliseum and they are Jen’s biggest fans. Maggie loves basketball just like her mom, but has also taken a liking to horseback riding.
Jen played at Wake Forest and was the best women’s player to wear the old gold and black. She still holds the program’s scoring and rebounding records. Jen was inducted in to the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and was named an ACC Legend in 2013. A member of the class of 1991, Jen was also a top student, being named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
Her coaching career took her all over the country but she returned home as the head coach of the Demon Deacons in 2012. As a player she led Wake Forest to its only NCAA Tournament appearance and her goal is to lead the Demon Deacons back to the big dance as a coach. You can find out more about Jen and her team at here and follow Jen on Twitter @WakeCoachJen. Catch the Deacons in their last game this year on Saturday, February 28 when they host Georgia Tech. Wake Forest is offering a special 4-4-4 deal: 4 tickets, 4 drinks, and 4 hot dogs for $20!
Darlene Haskins
Originally from California, Darlene has lived in Kernersville for six years with her husband, William, and their kids ages 11, 13, 16 & 18. In College, Darlene took Early Childhood Education and business courses while working as an AmeriCorps VISTA liaison for the program “Teachers for Tomorrow”.
Once she and William had their 4th child, Darlene decided to work from home. She ran a large in home preschool for six years, until her children were all in school. She went to work for the Kernersville YMCA as a lifeguard and swim instructor in 2013. After talking with parents and researching the need for survival lessons, she decided to apply to the ISR (Infant Swimming Resource) program and was accepted in 2013. She is now a certified ISR instructor and teaches at the Kernersville YMCA. She teaches infants ages 6mo-1yr to rollback and float and toddlers ages 1 yr–6yrs to swim, rollback to float and swim again to get to the side of the pool. (See amazing videos of this on the Facebook page here.)
Darlene also runs the two local Roller Derby teams with her husband. She played Roller Derby for two years with the Camel City Thrashers and then decided to start a team locally so that her kids could play too. She also started an adult team.
Darlene says that having four kids and juggling everyone’s activities is not a simple task, but having a flexible schedule makes it work. Her family volunteers at many charity organizations like homeless shelters, food collections and Habitat for Humanity. Her husband William says that he admires her for all she does with the community and at home and is always willing to lend a hand and help her achieve her goals. Her kids also help by taking videos for ISR, cleaning up after derby, and their household chores.
April Greenwood
April Canter Greenwood’s favorite quote is “My cup runneth over.” She explains that she is blessed with her beautiful, busy family and also with being able to teach something to someone every single day. April attended Appalachian State University and majored in Middle Grade Education. She began her career at Walkertown Middle School and then taught at Cash Elementary. She loved being a part of opening Ward Elementary School in 2000 and remained there for the better part of her career. April has said often that positive learning experiences & the bond a teacher creates with a child is the only way to make education meaningful for all learners. She truly believes that if a child feels that he matters and understands that his teacher is on his side, great things can be accomplished. In January of 2011, April’s career switched to “teaching teachers” as she became a Literacy Coach with Education Resource Group, LLC.
Exercise has been a part of April’s life and routine for many years, but 2.5 years ago, she also became a BodyFlow instructor at the Robinhood YMCA. This class is a beautiful incorporation of Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates. Again, April was teaching in yet another venue!
Two years ago, a good friend spoke to April about Beautycounter, a company that prides itself in providing the safest skin care and cosmetics products for women, men and children. Again, April fell in love with an opportunity to educate others and became a consultant.
Along with her teaching career, April attempts to “teach” her own two young boys on a daily basis with the help of her supportive and wonderful husband of almost 10 years, Charlie. Sometimes she feels successful with this motherhood part of her life, other times she just sits back and enjoys the crazy ride that it provides.
