Dr. Betty Cobbs has been an educator in the Everett Public School District (EPS) for 51 years, using every moment of that time to show up for her students, their families, and her community. Betty knew from an early age that she would become a teacher. She studied at Western Washington University and jumped at the first opportunity to get into classrooms. 

In her senior year of college, Betty participated in a program in Everett that allowed her to finish her coursework while learning alongside teachers at Garfield Elementary. “I was anxious to get involved in a school and get real on-the-job training with teachers,” says Betty. Soon after, EPS hired Betty as an elementary teacher. 

Her school journey continued with many roles throughout her time with EPS. After nine years of teaching at Jefferson Elementary, Betty began her administrative career at Jackson Elementary. She grew quickly and served as Jackson's Principal for six years before returning to Garfield, this time as Principal, for 11 years.

After another eight years as Principal at Hawthorne Elementary, Betty worked two years as a Director in EPS Human Resources where she developed the continuing district Teacher Assistant Program which mentored teachers throughout their introduction to EPS. Betty completed her last 15 years before retiring as Principal at Woodside Elementary. “I loved that staff, those kids, and their families,” shares Betty. “Woodside is the kind of school where you roll up your sleeves and work hard every day to create successful outcomes for students. With a talented and supportive staff, you can do so much,” she says proudly.

While Betty herself didn’t live in the Mill Creek area, her students did, and she wanted to find a way to embrace the community. “I had been very active in the communities of the other schools I had worked with, but since I didn’t live in this area, I decided to engage some organizations in the south end to support our school.” Through her outreach, Betty came to know many Mill Creek organizations that played a huge part in school events, like a holiday shopping spree for students. 

“A Mill Creek Rotary Club member began speaking with me about a program he wanted to bring to the area. I was very excited, and decided we should do it!” shares Betty. The main goal of the program was to provide students in need with an opportunity to shop for themselves. With the help of the office staff and school counselor, about 30 students were selected for the program. Between the school, the Mill Creek Rotary Club, and transportation provided by the YMCA, each child got to go to JC Penney at the Alderwood Mall to spend $100 on clothes. “Many of our students had never been to the Alderwood Mall, so getting to shop in the store before anyone else was there was a real treat for them,” she says.

Betty was instrumental in the success of this program, ensuring family participation and students shopping for what they needed. Each student was paired with a Rotary Club member who acted as their personal shopper, helping students shop for themselves for the first time. “This was a great relationship-building activity for both the kids and the Rotarians,” says Betty, “and many requested to be paired up with their same shopping partners in following years.” After seeing the joy and gratefulness from the Woodside families, Betty and the Mill Creek Rotary Club wanted to continue the program. The Woodside holiday shopping spree has been going strong every December since 2016, and it continues to grow, allowing even more students to participate each year. 

Even though Betty retired from her role as an educator earlier this year, she has no plans to stop volunteering in the community. “This will be the first year I will get to shop with Woodside students as their personal shopper rather than as their principal,” says Betty. “I’m so excited to join them with the Mill Creek Rotarians this December!”

Although she finds herself even busier than she thought she would be since retiring, Betty is enjoying membership at the YMCA, traveling, and reading in her free time outside of her increased community work at Everett Community College, Puget Sound Kidney Centers, UW Bothell, and many more local organizations. She also loves spending time with her family: her husband Zebedee, her two adult sons, and her two high school-aged grandsons. 

As Betty concludes, “I don’t know how I had time to work before retiring, because I feel like I’m doing so much! But, I will always be focused on reaching out, empowering my community, and leveling the playing field by increasing opportunities for students and families.”