Teacher makes impact on school and community

Kaelei Whitlatch

Hi, I'm Kaelei and I'm a senior at Southmoreland. I'm a member of National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Concert Band, Show Choir, Highlander Choir, Musical Arts, Music Theatre club, The Future is Mine, Random Acts of Kindness, and Journalism. I love to play clarinet, write, and perform on stage. I plan to attend Robert Morris University with a major in Communications.
Kaelei Whitlatch

Years ago, Southmoreland High School English teacher Mrs. Jenna Hixson was visiting the Southmoreland Primary Center when she noticed something that broke her heart.

The school had ran a contest where awards were won depending on how many books the student had read. Parents would sign off that they read with the child, and whoever read the most books would win. Many students were reading up to 500 books.

But one young boy didn’t have a single signature on his paper. He had no one to read with at home.

“My heart broke,” Mrs. Hixson said. “And when my heart breaks, I have to do something about it.”

Mrs. Hixson had hundreds of children’s books to donate to the book drive Operation Santa, but she learned when dropping them off that the book drive was over. This caused even more heartbreak for the English teacher.

So, she came up with an idea: Reading Buddies, an after school organization where students from Southmoreland High School walk to the Southmoreland Primary Center to read books to the kindergarten and first graders.

Other than scrolling through Pinterest for ideas for her classes and grading essays, Mrs. Hixson loves community service.

“Choosing my favorite act of service would be like choosing a favorite child,” she said. “That’s impossible.”

But if she had to pick a favorite, it would be Reading Buddies.

“I love Reading Buddies because it gives high schoolers a chance to find their ‘mini-me,’ ” she said. “Students that are usually quiet in the classroom blossom at Reading Buddies.”

Mrs. Hixson has been involved with many other community service projects such as Cookie Crusaders, Random Acts of Kindness, and Carving and Caring. Not only has she made an impact on the community, but also on the past and present students of Southmoreland.

Nick Shawley, graduate of the class of 2015, was inspired by Mrs. Hixson.

“During my freshman year, I noticed that she had taught with the theme of ‘being nice to everyone,’ ” Shawley said. “She taught me to have self confidence, which I truly lacked at that time. I can never thank her enough for that.”

Mrs. Hixson had always dreamed of becoming a teacher when she was young.

“Teaching has always been a part of me,” she said. “I set up a makeshift classroom in my parents’ basement and used old teacher textbooks my godmother found in the trash. My stuffed animals were my first ‘students.’ ”

Even though she had always wanted to be a teacher, as she grew older she changed her mind quite a few times. From wanting to become “rich” by becoming a lawyer to wanting to save lives by becoming a doctor, she ultimately ended up choosing teaching.

“Thank goodness I went in the right direction,” she said.

About Kaelei Whitlatch
Hi, I'm Kaelei and I'm a senior at Southmoreland. I'm a member of National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Concert Band, Show Choir, Highlander Choir, Musical Arts, Music Theatre club, The Future is Mine, Random Acts of Kindness, and Journalism. I love to play clarinet, write, and perform on stage. I plan to attend Robert Morris University with a major in Communications.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*