BENNETTSVILLE, South Carolina — For the past 18 years, Denise N. Jones has taught Spanish at Marlboro Academy. That followed a career in news.
Jones graduated from Sumter High School in 1993 and attended the University of South Carolina, majoring in journalism. Before her senior year, she visited a friend who was studying at Winthrop University and working at the Wyboo Country Club in Manning. It was there that her future husband, Joey, asked her friend out on a date — but she had a boyfriend and introduced him to Jones.
The two got married in Summerton on Jan. 9, 1999.
While the two were dating Jones began to spend more time in Manning, where she met the owner and publisher of the Manning Times weekly paper.
“When he learned I was majoring in journalism he offered me a job and I felt like it was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up,” Jones said. “So I started working there while I commuted to Columbia for classes. It was honestly one of the best times of my life. I met people from all walks of life, learned so much about politics, law enforcement, community projects, city and county council. Things you would not normally be exposed to at such an early age.”
One story that stands out to Jones is when she covered the Ku Klux Klan trial in which a historically black Clarendon County church had been burned.
“This was something I had learned about in history classes, and could not believe would happen in this day and age,” Jones said. “I met and interviewed leaders of the local KKK organization, as well as ACLU leaders and I, met Morris Dees, the head of the Southern Poverty Law Center.”
Another standout story nearly got Jones arrested. It was one where an elderly woman was raped and killed by three young boys.
“During the court procedures name were released and we printed them,” Jones said. “Later, a warrant was issued for my arrest and I was pregnant with my first son at the time, so our newspaper ate up all the publicity. It was a tragic event, but hard not to get caught up in all the excitement when I was just 24 years old! I didn’t go to jail – but as I said, it was pretty exciting stuff.”
For Jones, she loved every minute of being a reporter, especially when she worked for The Sumter Item, which was a daily paper. Though being a Spanish teacher was never in her plans, she enjoys what she does.
The offer to work at Marlboro Academy came after the company her husband worked for went bankrupt and he was then offered the Laurinburg store of Farmer’s Furniture and the two bought a house on Lake Drive.
“Shortly after we moved there the school he attended — Marlboro Academy — contacted me about being a substitute teacher,” Jones said. “I had minored in Spanish, but never imagined I would become a Spanish teacher. When they offered me a full-time job I enrolled at UNC Pembroke and became certified to teach. I never thought I would enjoy a job as much as I did working for the newspaper, but I did.”
When Jones thinks back to it she always had a passion for teaching but felt too shy to ever pursue it — but being a reporter helped her get over being shy.
“Marlboro Academy really is a family atmosphere and teaching there is such a pleasure,” Jones said. “Teaching a foreign language gives me a chance to play the guitar and sing with my kids, paint with them, do literature and cultural activities with them – so much besides just vocabulary and grammar. I feel so blessed.”
Jones added despite being cheesy, one of her favorite parts about working with children is seeing the light in a young person’s eyes when they learn something new or understand something for the first time.
“I live for those moments when a student — even if it’s years after they’ve graduated — comes back and says, ‘Wow, I am so glad you made me learn that.’ I’m especially proud when they say ‘I would never have survived Spanish in college if I hadn’t had you.’”
Reach Katelin Gandee at kgandee@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.