INDUCTION YEAR:2025
A dedicated, life-long educator, Iburia Hall-Haynes wears many additional hats: author, historian, researcher, champion of youth, scholarship donor, business technology advisor, and church and community stalwart, as seen through her extensive participation in community service activities.
Born in Alabama and graduating in the top five percent of her high school class, Hall-Haynes stayed in-state to receive her undergraduate college degree, studying business education and English. She made her way to Virginia to work at a few jobs before settling in on her passion.
After earning her master’s degree from Antioch University in Ohio in Human Services Administration and Organization Development, she started teaching. She began her teaching career in Alexandria in 1976 at T. C. Williams High School (now Alexandria City High School). Her focus was on linking business concepts to career skill development for junior high and high school students. It was a teaching career that would span 30 years, with many achievement milestones along the way.
While with the public school system, Hall-Haynes coordinated programs and initiatives to teach students how to enter a career in the business world, exposing them through such programs as: Future Business Leaders of America; School Business Partnerships, Project Achievement/ Minority Achievement Program, and career days that would draw up to 100 business participants.
Her tenure as business teacher spanned the period of the ’90s when computers and the internet were rapidly changing the way business and business communications were conducted; and the way in which schools were managed as well. She used project- based learning and multimedia resources to motivate students to learn office management and economics, business law, accounting, keyboarding and word-processing. She also assisted teachers and administrators with making the leap into the computer world. The National Education Association included her work, “Technology Infusion” in its National School Business Partnership Directory, a listing of valuable resources for professionals. She was invited to participate in NEA’s national conference series on “The Transition from School to Work” in 1997 and in 1998. Not surprisingly, she was nominated for Teacher of the Year in 1999.
In the later years of her tenure with the school system, Hall-Haynes was serving as a curriculum specialist for the technology integration discipline and systemwide technology infusion instructor. As such, she was able to continue her passion for integrating technology into learning. She developed an interactive handbook as a technology integration tool and developed and conducted workshops on areas including word processing, database design, spreadsheet creation and managing computer files. Her work assisted teachers, administrators and staff professionals in meeting Virginia Department of Education certification requirements.
While most might leave their profession behind after retirement to pursue lighter interests or travel, Hall-Haynes embraced a more difficult journey — continuing pursuit of the higher education degree she had begun seven years earlier – her Doctor of Philosophy Degree at George Mason University. She describes her PH.D pursuit in those years as, “It was as was intended to be – a test of endurance and also enjoyable because I learned a lot and acquired skills I was able to integrate into school systems.” She earned her Ph.D in Education Leadership and Technology in 2007, the year following her retirement, in time to join a family celebration alongside her daughter’s celebration of law school graduation.
Post retirement, away from the rigors of daily classroom instruction and curriculum development, Hall-Haynes delved into researching other ways to help students thrive. She conducted research into the drivers of school truancy and dropout. In 2007 she published the study, Truancy and Truancy Interventions: Perceptions of Students and Education Leaders. The
study has been used by ACPS and other school systems and researchers to assist with truancy issues.
Additionally, after her official retirement from teaching, Hall-Haynes continued working to further the education of young people through Project Discovery of Alexandria. For over 10 years she served as a member of Project Discovery’s advisory board, for five years as its vice-chair. She assisted in the program preparing and motivating low income and first-generation college- eligible students to access opportunities for higher education. For that organization, she performed such diverse duties as coordinating annual fundraisers, designing their website, creating an online scholarship application, serving as editor of the newsletter, creating a scholarship orientation video, and serving on the scholarship committee. She was able to acquire the interest, mentoring, and donations of healthcare service company AR Services, which became a major contributor to the project. She now serves as a consultant to the Vickie Belk Scholarship Foundation and is a former foundation board member. She designed their website to inform students and the community about the scholarships and foundation activities. This year, she moderated a workshop, “The Path to Scholarships,” compiling a resource booklet for students preparing for college titled, “Scholarships and Resources for Scholars – 2025”. Hall-Haynes herself is a significant donor, sponsoring three students in attending the Northern Virginia Community College’s Science, Technology and Math Program in the summer of 2016. Her service on the Project Discovery of Alexandria Advisory Board was acknowledged in proclamations by the City of Alexandria in 2018 and 2019.
Beyond her significant contributions to educating young people, Hall-Haynes has helped her church, Oakland Baptist Church, in solidifying its place in history. Established in 1892, the historic church was built on the grounds of civil war era Fort Ward, which became the site of an emancipated African American community after the war. Known as The Fort. Hall-Haynes researched and documented the church cemetery and successfully applied for its recognition by both the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Further, she applied for and received a grant award of over $20,000 from the Virginia Historical African American Cemetery and Graves Fund for the restoration and care of the cemetery.
Hall-Haynes, who maintains strong ties to her home community in Alabama, was inducted into their R. R. Moton High School Museum Hall of Fame in 2017, honoring her contribution to Civil Rights in education. The former school is on its way to placement on the register of historic schools due in part to Hall-Haynes’ activism.
One of her nominators, Carolyn B. Lewis said, “Iburia Hall-Haynes is a role model for youth as well as her peers. Her contributions have helped to shape minds, inspire curiosity and foster growth in the community. She has a unique blend of talents and skills that she readily and graciously shares. Her efforts inspire students now and will for generations to come.”
Addressing her devotion to education, Hall-Haynes says “Education has been important to me over the decades because it provided the foundation necessary for growth. At each level of growth, and once achieved, I was able to give back to my home and resident communities.
Education was the driving force for my ability to give back”.
Iburia Hall-Haynes has given back to her community in great measure. She is a Living Legend of Alexandria.
By Susan Laume
Photo Credit: steven Halperson