April Lombard, currently a longterm sub with the THRIVE program, gives back to students and the staff who mean the world to her family.

Lombard went to college to work on a pre-med degree with designs on becoming a crime scene investigator. One day she was walking on campus when she saw a group of elementary school children and a lightbulb went off. She asked herself, “What am I doing?”

“I love kids. I think I want to work with kids,” she remembered. “I went in and changed my major, and the rest is history.”

After graduation, she taught at Robert J. Burch Elementary for 3 years to start her career, then was hired by the Department of Defense to teach on a Marine base in Japan for 6 years. After the birth of their first child, the family moved back home to Fayette County.

Lombard was in the middle of her third year teaching at Inman Elementary when her teaching trajectory changed. Her son was born with a rare genetic mutation, and her focus shifted to caring for him first and foremost.

She took a break from full-time teaching for a year before easing back into it part-time. Eventually she started subbing with the THRIVE program, leading to a longterm substitute role.

“They stole my heart.”

The THRIVE program is designed for students with profound disabilities, and many are medically fragile. THRIVE is all one team, from teachers and nurses to the substitutes and paraprofessionals, working towards the goal of helping the kids thrive.

It blends together with fulfilling her purpose to share her many blessings. That often means she subs in special needs classes.

“I didn’t know that I was going to be blessed with my own special little guy. That’s on my heart, so I try to fill in those spots when I can,” she said. “It continues to be pouring into kids the best way that I can in whatever capacity that may be at the time.”

Lombard felt supported, loved, and safe when she was a student in Fayette County, and it is her mission to do the same for others.

“Throughout my schooling, I always had very caring teachers that made sure to not only address the academic aspects of life but social things, what makes us tick, and what is important outside of the classroom,” said Lombard. “I have always been inspired and loved school, and I want to be that for students. I went into it hoping that I could touch a student in the way that I was.”

As a substitute, she gets to visit a lot of different schools and work with a lot of different staff members. That has helped reinforce her belief in what a great team we have in our school system.

“I truly believe that Fayette County has such an amazing group of teachers and support personnel. Everybody is just wonderful,” she said. “It’s my way to pour a little part of me and give back to the county that has given me so much.”

“The Honor Role,” an official podcast for Fayette County Public Schools, features employees, rotating through key stakeholders, including teachers, staff, nurses, custodians, cafeteria workers, and bus drivers. Join us as we dive in and learn about their journeys, their inspirations, and their whys.

Episodes are available on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and promoted on the social media channels of Fayette County Public Schools.

Episodes will also be available here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2200811.