{Photo Courtesy of City of Coral Springs}
By Bryan Boggiano
Jody Gaver, Millennium 6-12 Collegiate Academy counseling director, received recognition from the city for her almost 35 years of work in education. The honor comes as she prepares for retirement.
Gaver previously worked at Forest Glen Middle School, Sawgrass Springs Middle School, and J.P. Taravella High School.
“I was blessed daily to work with amazing people, both my colleagues and the students,” she said in a message. “The best part of this job is walking into work every day to make a difference.”
Gaver said that her mother, a former educator, inspired her career. Because of her mother, she views education as one of the noblest professions.
Gaver resided in Coral Springs since 1978, where she attended Coral Springs Middle and Taravella.
She started as a math teacher in 1987 before becoming a coordinator for at-risk children at Forest Glen in 1990. She served as Sawgrass Springs’s Middle School’s first guidance director from 1996 until 1998.
After leaving Sawgrass, Gaver worked at J.P. Taravella High School’s 19 years, where she was guidance director. Since 2017, she has been at Millennium, in Tamarac.
Commissioner Shawn Cerra reflected on his time as principal at Taravella, where he worked alongside Gaver. He said that she cared deeply about the students and the school and that moving Taravella forward was her top priority.
He said that she was deeply involved in each student’s education, serving as an SAT coordinator, advocating for and helping students reach their full potential, and acting as a safe place for students.
“Jody Gaver has made a tremendous impact on so many lives, and she has done a tremendous job at mentoring others,” Cerra said.
For Gaver, the most important part of her job is the impact that she has had on her students.
“I hope my legacy is that the students know if they work hard, they can be successful,” she said. “I hope my past students know how much I cared.”
She also thanked the city that he has called home for over 40 years, saying that Coral Springs has been good to her and her family, including her husband, Bruce, and her two children, Craig and Jennifer.
Gaver said, “I truly could not have asked for a better place to have grown up, met my spouse, brought up our children, and also worked.”
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