Highlands hires several new teachers

With school right around the corner, Highlands School has hired several new teachers excited to get into the classroom.

Anita Voznyuk McKim is Highlands School’s newest high school English teacher. She said she got into teaching because it was one of the only things she kept coming back to in her most formative years.

“It has been a passion for so long that it must have been inborn,” McKim said. “Nevertheless, teachers in my formal education, as well as church mentors have been some of the most influential in my life. A handful of teachers have been those who took the time to be genuine, truthful, and gave room to ask questions while offering wholesome advice in due time. I always wanted to live up to that.”

McKim said the best part of her job is sharing her passion for English.

“The best part of my job is sharing my passion for the English subject and being able to work with people in some of their most formidable, teenage years,” McKim said. “The hardest part of my job is understanding that the greatest rewards are not always imminent. Teaching is more like planting seeds, and sometimes it takes a long, long time before one sees even a sprout.”

Before working in Highlands, McKim was teaching at a high school in Asheville.

“I come from teaching at a high school in Asheville with a student body of about 1,200,” McKim said. “I am excited to work in Highlands for the tight-knit population and supportive community involvement.”

McKim graduated from Erwin High School in Asheville. After high school, she earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature and MAT of Arts Teaching from Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn.

“This year I am looking forward to settling into my new home with my husband here in Highlands, my new job teaching ninth and 11th grade English as well as creative writing and assisting with coaching the Highlands Cross Country team.”

In the middle school, Melissa McKinnon has taken over as the new English teacher.

“I graduated with a social work degree and wanted to work as a school social worker,” McKinnon said. “At the time, schools had stepped away from having social workers. As a single person living in a larger city, I opted to go into commercial sales. I enjoyed that career greatly. Once I married and was pregnant, I was in a position to do something I was passionate about. Because I loved this age group, middle school, I chose to do lateral entry teaching. I had enough credits to minor in English, so it was a perfect fit. I have been doing it for 17 years and still love what I do.

In the classroom, McKinnon said the best part of her job is the relationship with the students.

“It is such a precious gift to get to walk with these children and watch them grow and learn,” McKinnon said. “I would say making certain that each child is served correctly is the most challenging part of my job. It takes time to know individual needs and a lot of work to meet those needs. While it is challenging, it is worth every minute of time and energy invested.”

McKinnon and her family moved to the Cashiers’ area four years ago from Hickory, N.C.

“My hope has been to be able to work closer to my home and be more connected to the community I live in,” McKinnon said. “I have always loved this area. Six years ago, I was in Highlands for professional development and said to my coworker that I wanted to move here. Two years later, we made it happen. My husband and I attended college in the area, and we always had a desire to get back permanently.

McKinnon attended Western Carolina University for her undergraduate degree then earned her Masters of Language Development and Learning from Lenoir Rhyne University.

One thing McKinnon is looking forward to this year is having her son, Walt, join her at the middle school.

“I look forward to both of us connecting to this wonderful mountain city,” McKinnon said. “Mostly, I look forward to that sense of community that is often lost in our hectic world. I am excited to get to know each of my students and their families.”

Though she came to the educational field later, April Getz, the new media coordinator at Highlands School found her calling in the library.

“Education is a second career for me,” Getz said. “After working in public relations and nonprofit management, I took some time off to be with my young sons. I volunteered in their school library and fell in love with it - I found my calling.”

Getz said the best part of her job is lighting a spark in her students.

“I love lighting a spark for reading and then keeping that fire burning throughout a student’s educational years,” Getz said. “I also love helping teachers find resources and activities that enrich the great work they are doing in the classroom. Helping students become media literate and teaching them to use the internet and other digital resources in a safe and responsible way would probably be the most challenging part of my job.”

Since Getz grew up in the western North Carolina mountains, she said she has been looking forward to a time when the stars would align for both her husband and herself to be able to live and work in Highlands.

Getz graduated high school at Robbinsville then earned her bachelor’s degree in communication and public relations from North Carolina State. She then went on to earn her master’s degree in library and information studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

“I am looking forward to getting to know all the students and families at Highlands School and working with middle and high school students again after being at an elementary school for the past several years,” Getz said.

Allison Hedman, a new third grade teacher at Highlands school got into teaching for more than just the curriculum and lesson plans.

“I realized that teaching is so much more than just curriculum and lesson plans,” Hedman said. “You help guide these students through life and give them tools for the future. I want to make a difference in the lives of my students just like my teachers did for me.”

She said the best part of her job is watching students become more confident in their abilities.

“I think the most challenging part of the job is containing my excitement to meet my students and have my classroom,” Hedman said.

Before getting the job at Highlands School, Hedman was a student teacher at the school.

“I wanted to officially join the wonderful group of teachers and faculty at Highlands School, which is why I am thankful for this job,” Hedman said.

Hedman graduated high school from Union Academy Charter School in Monroe, N.C., and then earned her bachelor’s degree from Western Carolina University.

“I am looking forward to growing as an educator and seeing my students grow as well,” Hedman said.

The new physical education teacher, Kaitlin Bishop, got into teaching because she has always enjoyed working with kids.

“I got into teaching because I have always enjoyed working with the young kids in the community,” Bishop said. “So, the thought of getting to help young kids grow was something that I just couldn’t say no to.”

She said the best part of her job is getting to be a part of the Highlander family.

“It’s truly something special,” Bishop said. “I would say the most challenging part of my job is finding the ways to build trust with each and every student. All kids are so different so finding ways to relate with all of them isn’t always an easy thing.”

Bishop said the move to Highlands was because it was a way for her to stay close to her friends and family but also just felt like the best step for her in her career.

Bishop graduated high school at Franklin High School, then got her bachelor’s degree at Western Carolina University.

“With last year being my first year teaching, I think what I’m looking forward to most is getting to hopefully have a more normal year of school without wearing masks,” Bishop said. “Since I teach P.E., masks and social distance definitely made for an interesting first year of teaching for me.”

The new art teacher at Highlands School, Jessica Moschouris, got into teaching because of her high school art teacher.

“I have always wanted the opportunity to teach kids positive ways to express themselves creatively, to encourage to be the best versions of themselves,” Moschouris said. “My art teacher in high school always encourage me to dream big, work hard, believe in yourself and anything is possible. She always believed in me and in my talent even when I sometimes did not believe in myself. I strive to instill confidence in the students I teach and give them the fundamentals to strive for anything they what to do in life.”

She said the best part of her job is when her students get excited about an art project.

“I love seeing the kids’ faces light up when they are really excited about an art project that we are doing,” Moschouris said. “I also love how excited they are to come to art class or when they got a technique down and they are excited about the creative process they are exploring.”

With COVID-19 being a huge part of last year, Moschouris said the pandemic was challenging in her classroom.

“I would also say finding a balance with work, college and being a new mom is challenging,” Moschouris said. “It’s challenging but I know this is well worth it. I love teaching and love working at Highlands School. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to learn something new every day and strive to be the best I can be.”

Moschouris moved to Highlands from Statesville, N.C., in 2015.

“I love Highlands, this town has a wonderful community, everyone knows each other on a first name basis,” Moschouris said. “I just love how everyone is so welcoming, selfless and so willing to help someone in need. I love the energy up here.”

Moschouris went to Statesville Senior High School and earned her bachelor’s degree in art with a double concentration in oil painting/ceramics and art history with a minor in philosophy with honors at Western Carolina University.

“I’m looking forward to another year of learning, finding new innovative ways in teaching my students, building a stronger connection with facility, staff, students and community,” Moschouris said. “Also, I always look forward to spending more time with my son, partner, family and friends.”

Ever since Highlands School’s new second grade teacher, Pamela Taylor, can remember, she has wanted to be a teacher.

“I didn’t know why, I only knew that’s what I wanted to do,” Taylor said. “I’m the type of person who is young at heart and I really like being around the students and doing my best to make learning fun.”

She said the best part of her job is the new adventures that happen in the classroom.

“I like that every day with the students is a brand-new adventure, there’s never a dull moment,” Taylor said. “Sometimes it’s hard when everyone needs your attention at once, but you are only one person.”

Taylor was offered the position last year when she first moved to North Carolina.

“I didn’t realize at the time just how fortunate I was to land at Highlands School,” Taylor said.

She grew up in Alexandria, Louisiana, and graduated from Bolton High. She then got a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from LSU in Baton Rouge, then a master’s degree in education from the University of New Orleans.

“I’m looking forward to another great year with my new students, and still having the chance to watch my last year’s group grow,” Taylor said.

New Highlands School music teacher, Joi Chapman said she got into teaching to share her love of performing arts with students of all ages.

“The best part of my job is making music with children, and watching them met and exceed their goals,” Chapman said. “The most challenging part of my job is being able to offer as many opportunities as possible in order to meet the various interests and needs of all students. I don’t ever want anyone to lose out on an experience that can help them grow and learn.

Chapman moved to Macon County from Florida to be closer to family and to enjoy living in the mountains.

“I am thrilled to have this opportunity work Highlands as it is a lovely area, and the school seems to be a very welcoming, supportive, and caring community,” Chapman said. “After visiting this area before, I knew I would love being here.”

Chapman grew up in Ohio, where she graduated from Brunswick High School and then earned her bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University.

“I am looking forward to getting to know student and staff, and planning many exciting performing arts opportunities for the students,” Chapman said.

New elementary school teacher, Chandler Luke grew up being a teacher, lining up her baby dolls and teaching them different skills.

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher growing up,” Luke said. “I was the child that would line my baby dolls up and teach them all kinds of new skills. My college career began a little differently, I started in the program to become an ultrasound technician. The program was very competitive, and I did not get in. I took a step back to look at what I really wanted to be and decided to take a year off. During that year I had the opportunity to be a nanny to my infant cousin. He quickly became my world, and I knew I was meant to work with children. Watching him grow and develop new skills was incredible and I want to do whatever I needed to do to be able to continue watch children grow and learn.”

Every day is a new day in the teaching world, which is why Luke said it is the best part of her job.

“If a child has a challenging day the day before, they might strive the next day,” Luke said. “I also love being able to watch them grow and change throughout the year. The aspect I find challenging about teaching is that there seems to never be enough time. I have many exciting ideas of activities to complete but it seems like we were never able to get to them this past year.”

Luke said she has always been a part of the Highlands community, because her parents own Reeves Hardware. Now that she gets a chance to teach at Highlands School, she said it is an incredible opportunity.

“I have always loved Highlands,” Luke said. “I did not attend Highlands School growing up, but I have always been a part of the community by working at Reeves Hardware. My family owns Reeves and that is where I have spent nearly all of my summers. Many of the locals have gotten to watch me grow up by simply coming in for the odds and ends they need. So, to be able to come back and start my career in the same place is an incredible opportunity. I love seeing familiar, friendly faces and teaching kids that I have known through their parents.”

Luke graduated from White County High School and earned her bachelor’s degree at Western Carolina University.

“This year I am looking forward to having more time, as the school will be following a more traditional school schedule,” Luke said. “I am looking forward to putting the ideas I gained throughout last year into place this year to better the classroom environment and learning.”

Marlene Alvarez Fairchild was hired this year as the new Spanish teacher at Highlands School.

Fairchild is a native of Miami, Fla., who has lived in Western North Carolina for 25 years. She is a graduate of the University of Miami and Emory University.

Fairchild is married and the proud mother of twins, Harper and Jackson, who currently attend Highlands School.

She enjoys cooking, gardening and traveling. She has been active in the Highlands community, currently serving as the treasurer of Highlands School PTO and as past chairman of the Highlands Chamber of Commerce.

Highlands School’s assistant principal Sarah Holbrooks said they are very excited for the addition of all their new teachers.

“Highlands School proudly welcomes several new teachers for the 2021-22 school year,” Holbrooks said. “The teachers that have been hired have experience, professionalism, energy, and enthusiasm for learning. We are all very excited for the new school year, and we hope the community will help us to welcome our new Highlanders.”

- by Christopher Smith