DANVILLE -- She is the first one to greet them when they arrive at school and the last to wish them well as they leave.

She is the one who reads to them on the carpet, who saves every memory on film and makes sure all are on the same page at the end of the day. She is the one who many consider to be the heart of the Mahoning-Cooper Elementary School.

She is Joan Smedley, a longtime teacher's aide and parent volunteer who has left an indelible impression on thousands of pupils, parents, faculty members and support staff in her nearly four decades at Mahoning-Cooper.

Smedley is spending her final weeks at the school she calls her second home before retiring next month after 32 years as an aide and several years before that as a parent volunteer. Her impending departure has cast an emotional blanket on the end of the school year, according to Jane Kettlewell, a first-grade teacher, a void that can't be accurately measured until she is gone.

"She cannot be replaced," said Kettlewell, who has worked with Smedley in class for close to 20 years. "She is a role model for us all, a reflection of love, kindness and dedication. We are very sad she is leaving but happy for her at the same time. Every parent should feel good if their child has been able to get to know her. She had all three of mine, and they're better people for it."

Kettlewell said Smedley epitomizes the importance of teacher's aides and all they do on a daily basis. Often, Kettlewell said, Smedley goes beyond the call of duty.

"She sees what needs to be done even before the teacher does," Kettlewell said. "She truly treats each child as if they were her own. She loves the kids so much, she routinely goes beyond what she has to do."

The decision to step away wasn't an easy one, according to Smedley.

"I just felt the time was right," she said. "I was driving my children and grandchildren nuts talking about (the decision). I live close to the school, so I know it will be hard not to come over and volunteer and visit."

Her reputation has been forged by her gift of connecting with each pupil, either through her unique style of reading children's books or patient tutoring when working in small groups and in one-on-one sessions. Smedley may be best known for her photography and scrap-booking, as she has spent much of the past 20 years scouring local newspapers for photos of pupils and taking photos herself of every school activity.

Many of her pictures and photo cut-outs are displayed on the walls of the school under the title "Students in the news." Additionally, Smedley compiles a collection of photos for each pupil of their time at Mahoning-Cooper and gives them a packet when they finish fifth grade.

Smedley's biggest impact may be the time she spent reading to pupils on the small circle carpet in the back of the classroom, mostly tales of Amelia Bedelia and Serendipity animals.

"As a shy first-grade student, my favorite time of day was sitting on the carpet listening to (her) read to us," said Molly Neid, principal at the Danville Elementary School and a former Mahoning-Cooper pupil. "She always read Serendipity or Amelia Bedelia books, and these are some of my favorite childhood books I share with my own children. She has truly dedicated her life to the well-being of Mahoning-Cooper students and touched every student's life in one way or another."

School officials are planning a public celebration in her honor for 4 p.m. May 28 at the school.

n E-mail comments to jnorth@dailyitem.com.