DATE: Saturday, April 19, 1997              TAG: 9704190319

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: NORFOLK                           LENGTH:   53 lines

NORFOLK'S TEACHER OF THE YEAR MADE NORVIEW'S CHORUS WHAT IT IS

Music teacher Danielle Roby came to Norview High School five years ago with a daunting task - make a small, flailing choral program, well, sing.

Roby, then a part-time teacher, developed a simple strategy: make the classes fun and recruit students.

``I went into study halls, introduced myself and told the kids, `I'm looking for singers - no strings attached. If you like it, stay; if not, come back (to the study hall).' (The students ) thought I was crazy,'' Roby said.

``But I took about 12 boys across the hall and about 8 of them stayed.''

Since then, Roby has become a full-time instructor. While she started off with 30 singers, she's developed four performing groups that now total 135 singers. The program was the smallest in the city when Roby started, and it is now the largest. For her work, Roby was named Norfolk's Teacher of the Year this week.

``I was really excited and honored. I was moved,'' Roby said. ``I don't think I'm a great teacher every day; I work at it every day. I enjoy my good days and I think I rebound from my bad ones.''

Roby grew up in Norfolk. She graduated from Lake Taylor High School in 1983 and attended Old Dominion University on a music scholarship. Roby always wanted to be either a singer or a teacher, and found both when she began teaching more than nine years ago.

Norview junior Darmeshia Hampton is in the school's girls' chorus and was a student of Roby's seven years ago at Tanners Creek Elementary School.

Roby is Darmeshia's favorite teacher.

``She's on the same level with her students,'' the 16-year-old said.

``She likes to joke and tell us stories, she does the latest dances. But she also makes us work.''

Roby said people often marvel at her students, who mix spirituals with country singing. But Roby said there aren't any secrets to her success with her students.

``I think I work for their attention. My kids tell me I could do stand-up,'' Roby said with a laugh.

``I know my kids like my class because I like my class. They think I'm funny. When I get them laughing, I know they're listening.''

And many people are also listening to her students. Roby's groups have won state and national recognition, and the groups get a constant stream of performance invitations.

Norview principal Marjorie Stealey calls Roby a dynamo.

``Mrs. Roby is highly energized and her enthusiasm is contagious,'' Stealey said. ``Her students love her, and no challenge is too great.'' ILLUSTRATION: BILL TIERNAN/The Virginian-Pilot

Danielle Roby transformed Norview High's chorus from the smallest

one in Norfolk to a nationally recognized program with four

performing choirs.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu