“Let Them Know”: Marie Doval Retires After 37 Years at Hopkins

“Just make sure that somewhere in there it says how grateful I am to be a part of this family,” retiring Spanish teacher Marie Doval said during a 2024 interview for Views magazine celebrating her 35th year at Hopkins. “Because that’s what it is to me. It is a family that looks out for you and lets me look out for them.”

In the final year of her 37-year career at Hopkins, the “family” she spoke of found countless ways to say thank you.

At the annual Yearbook Assembly in the last month of school, Doval received a standing ovation as it was announced that the 2026 yearbook had been dedicated to her. During Alumni Weekend, faculty, staff, alumni, and former students gathered to celebrate her retirement and reflect on a career that touched generations of Hopkins families. Students and colleagues collaborated on a tribute video filled with messages of gratitude. And on Prize Day, another lasting honor was unveiled: a prize established in her name.

For someone who had spent a career making others feel seen, valued, and cared for, it was fitting that her final year on campus became a season of appreciation.

Born in Málaga, Spain, Doval came to the United States at age 18 to attend Washington University in St. Louis. After beginning her career at a boarding school, she arrived at Hopkins in 1988. Thus began the nearly four-decade journey that connected her with thousands of students in the classroom as a Modern Language teacher as well as in her roles as a seventh-grade and ninth-grade head adviser. The relationships she built would extend far beyond graduation.

Some people, she once remarked, wondered how she could stay at the same school for so long. In one of her final interviews with The Razor, Hopkins’ student-run newspaper, Doval reflected on that question.

“I came to my job every day happy,” she said. “I was happy doing what I was doing, being surrounded by amazing adults and even more amazing students, doing something I loved. Why wouldn’t I want to stay?”

That philosophy shaped everything.

“The favorite part of my time at Hopkins has been having a connection with the students,” Doval told The Razor. “Those personal connections that made the student feel safe and comfortable are the most important part of my teaching Spanish—once they were comfortable, then they would feel less scared to speak another language.”

Dean of Academics Kristine Waters, who first met Doval during new faculty orientation in 1997, described her with an array of adjectives that captured her spirit and uniqueness during remarks delivered at Doval’s retirement luncheon at Alumni Weekend 2026.

“Marie was a force—confident, super organized, humble, funny, never afraid to speak her mind, and so full of love and care for all those around her,” Waters said.

To describe Doval’s classroom style, one needs only to look at the unconventional ways she went about grabbing people’s attention.

Early in her career, Doval was known to occasionally stand on desks during class, and even on Parents Night, to bring language learning to life. She filled her classroom with games, music, movement, and, always, laughter. “To me the most important thing they will get out of my class is to be a good person and to be respectful,” Doval said during her 2024 Views interview. “Spanish comes second to that.”

In 2021, Doval was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. Throughout her treatment, Doval leaned on the Hopkins community that had become family. She credits Waters with recognizing something was wrong and taking her to the hospital. Later, Waters and Modern Language Department Chair Lan Lin worked together to restructure her schedule so she could continue teaching while preserving her health. When she returned, Director of College Counseling Erika Chapin drove her to school every morning.

“Hopkins saved my life,” Doval said while recounting the story.

The support she received from the Hopkins community through every obstacle reinforced what she had always believed about the School.

“When you’re all alone, all you think about is the bad stuff,” she said. “Coming back here and seeing the kids and helping the kids... they keep me going. They really do.”

Upon her return from a leave of absence during treatment, she began another ritual. Each morning, she greeted every student individually as they entered her classroom, looking them in the eye and making sure they felt acknowledged.

At the time, Doval explained that she wanted students to know she cared about them individually as people. If a student seemed off, she noticed. If they needed encouragement, she offered it. And if they made mistakes, she met them with respect.

“We all make mistakes,” she said. “Talk about it and tell them, ‘I still care and love you, but what you did was wrong. How should you do it next time?’”

Even during treatment, Doval continued thinking about others. Speaking at the holiday luncheon, Lin recalled how Doval quietly volunteered to provide extra help to students who were not even in her classes.

“It was a quiet choice, made out of care for students,” said Lin. “It’s one that speaks clearly to Marie’s values,” she added.

Over the years, students came to know Doval as “Mama Hen,” a nickname she embraced with pride.

“I’m your mama hen,” she’d say to them. “So, I’m going to watch out for you, and you are all my chickens.”

She meant it.

During the 2024 interview, Doval reached into her bag and pulled out letters from former students—notes she carried with her wherever she went. Some had become parents themselves. Others still called to wish her a happy birthday or visited whenever they returned to Connecticut.

Doval believes deeply in expressing gratitude. Throughout her career, she always encouraged students to thank the teachers, mentors, and loved ones who had shaped their lives.

“Let them know,” she said. “They won’t know otherwise, because it means the world to them.”

As a head adviser, Doval became a trusted guide for generations of Hopkins students and families. During remarks delivered at a faculty holiday luncheon honoring Doval’s retirement, Waters reflected on her years in that role.

“Marie skillfully balanced the roles of cheerleader, caregiver, disciplinarian, teacher, and counselor,” Waters said. “She has loved her students and they have loved her back.”

At that same gathering, Lin described Doval as “warm, deeply caring, patient, and precise.”

“She has been a mentor to new teachers, a keeper of traditions, and a steady presence during times of change,” Lin said. “No matter the issue, Marie always centered her thinking on students and their well-being, reminding us why we do this work in the first place.”

At the retirement luncheon during Alumni Weekend, Head of School Matt Glendinning called Doval’s contributions to Hopkins “innumerable and impossible to recount.”

While speaking from the podium during Alumni Weekend, Waters spoke directly to Doval, recognizing that her impact did not go unnoticed.

“For 37 years, you have been a consummate professional with every action and every decision firmly grounded in doing what was best for students and best for Hopkins,” she said. “Thank you for sharing your wisdom, your laughter, and your contagious enthusiasm with all of us. Thank you for reminding us what is truly important and for showing us what real courage is.”

Perhaps that is why the outpouring of affection during Doval’s final months on campus felt so natural. After all, she had spent her career teaching her students to tell people what they mean to them.

“Let them know,” she said.

And they did.

Surrounded by former students, colleagues, friends, and family during her community-wide retirement reception that afternoon on the Hill, Doval found herself embraced by the very thing she had spent a lifetime giving away: Love.