Everyone is at their best during a job interview, but Five Forks Middle School principal Christine Douthart said she knew she had something special roughly six years ago when Laura Ross interviewed for a counselor position at the school.

“I think her passion, her enthusiasm, you could just see it in the conversation with her,” Douthart said. “And just her knowledge, she talked about her students in length and in depth. You could tell that she knew them.”