CFNN Reporter Gabriella Umanzor

This week we are honoring one of the new additions to the Cape Fear Staff, Mrs. Demchock!

Mrs. Demchock came to Cape Fear as an English teacher, but before working at our school, she taught elementary school at Alderman Road. She taught elementary school for 16 years.

School Life

In addition to being an English teacher, Mrs. Demchock is the coach for the varsity girls’ cross country team. Cross country is a fall sport, so preparations begin in the summer. 

During summer vacation, Mrs. Demchock holds practice first thing in the morning to beat the summer heat. 

“I usually run with the students during easy and long run days. Days I don’t run with the cross country students, I run before practice,” says Mrs. Demchock.

In the afternoons Mrs. Demchock spends time planning for practice or creating meet strategies, analyzing other teams, or spending time with her family.

“I help Mr. Demchock with evening practice as needed. During the school year season we practice right after school,” says Mrs. Demchock.

When it comes to her running students, Mrs. Demchock’s approach is to not ask them to do anything she wouldn’t do as a runner. She trains her runners on how she trains for races, running workouts, strength training, and nutrition. Mrs. Demchock wants her runners to love this sport and continue after school by participating in half marathons, marathons, or running for a college team. 

“I want my runners to be the best runners they can be while developing the love of running,” says Mrs. Demchock.

“When running, Mrs. Demchock always runs with us and pushes us to our fullest potential. When she runs with us, it feels like she is supporting us all as a team,” says Varsity Girls Cross Country runner Amelia Osornio.

When asked about her proudest moments for her runners, Mrs. Demchock explains that when her runners hit a personal record (PR), she is filled with pride. Running is a challenging and unforgiving sport. She explains that a student can put in the time and effort to see results, and yet they can do everything right and still have a bad race. 

“When a student runs a PR race, they give everything at practice, ignore excuses, and have a winning mindset,” says Mrs. Demchock.

When teaching English, Mrs. Demchock wants her students to love reading. She picks stories that will get their interest and make them think. I want them to walk out of my class with the hope we read a book that will stick with them for life. 

When it came to her change from teaching elementary to teaching high school, she realized that she was able to better manage her time. As an elementary teacher, all of Mrs. Demchock’s free time was spent planning or grading papers; it was very challenging. Now in high school, she has time after school to run, go to her son Peyton’s baseball games, play with her dog Zoe, or spend time with Mr. Demchock. 

“I do as much work at school as I can so when I go home it’s nothing but family time, unless I am running,” says Mrs. Demchock.

Mrs. Demchock’s favorite quote to tell both my runners and students is, “Don’t get upset with the results you didn’t get or with the work you didn’t do.” She believes everyone can reach their goals; you just have to be willing to do the hard stuff to get there.

Fun Info

When it comes to Mrs. Demchock’s love for running, it only truly began 12 years ago when a 4th-grade student needed a buddy to run a 5k, and since then she has become hooked. Before this, any experience with running came from her high school years when she was on the track team running 200m hurdles. Besides running, other hobbies that Mrs. Demchock enjoys reading and knitting.

“I enjoy watching my son play baseball if that counts,” says Mrs. Demchock.

When asked what running meant to her, Mrs. Demchock explained,” I’ve been running for so long it’s who I am. Running is me against me. I am a very competitive person, and I love challenging myself.” Running is her meditation, and when it gets hard, she turns on her running playlist and lets the music take over. 

Mrs. Demchock has participated in many races; in the last 2 years, she has pushed herself with 24 races. Her personal best is 72 miles, and a race she wants to run in is the Blackbeard’s Revenge, a 100-mile race along the Outer Banks. 

“You earn a belt buckle when you finish. I want that belt buckle!” says Mrs. Demchock.

As a final sentiment, Mrs. Demchock leaves these words for the Cape Fear Community: “This is the best. I saw how much this community takes pride in our school. As a coach and visitor to the football games, I saw how wonderful the people were, and I had to be part of it. I live out here and teach here. I love going to the store and running into students and people I know. Cape Fear is home.”

Thank you, Mrs. Demchock, for being an incredible teacher and staff member at Cape Fear. You deserve all the honor as this week’s Teacher of the Week! Tune back in next week for the next amazing teacher at Cape Fear!