by Belle Holt
Mount View High will soon lose three great faculty members due to retirements. All three will be greatly missed.
Ms. Chase
For 19 years, Ms. Chase has been working at Mount View, teaching Science-based classes for a few different grades. She began her job in one of Mount View’s older buildings, working there for five years until they built a new building, which she has been working in for fourteen years. Ms. Chase always knew that she wanted to be a teacher.
“My dad tried to talk me out of it because everyone in our family was a teacher, and there is not much money in the profession,” she says. “Compared to other professional degrees, teachers make less.” Although her dad was initially opposed to the idea, Ms. Chase pursued her dream and ended up getting her teaching degree after studying geology. Geology was another one of her interests, and she would have continued it in college if not for the need for a Master’s degree, which would boost her success in that field of work. She now incorporates her love of geology into her class. Ms Chase quotes, “Geology is my love.”
Ms. Chase has enjoyed her time at Mount View, saying, “I have always felt the faculty here is really great. I have always felt welcomed and validated. I feel like my opinion matters.” She has helped out with the student council, as well as Envirothon. She is a teacher mentor, and Ms. Hanagriff was one of her mentees. For a time, she was head of the science department.
She said, “I have helped write grants, which helped kids get off of the school campus to do activities.” She had helped run Envirothon at her old school, so when she came to Mount View, it was offered to her. She has now been running Envirothon for 18 years. “I was a class advisor for seven years for the classes of 2009 and 2013. The class of 2009 was the last class to graduate in the old building, and the class of 2013 was the first class to go all 4 years in the new building.”
She is also a geocacher, and she has traveled to New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Canada, and more. She travels to Canada to attend a variety of music festivals. “We don’t go that often because we have dogs,” she says, “if someone wants to come babysit my dogs, then I could go more often.”
After she retires, she plans on doing more of her favorite activities such as geocaching and knitting; she says she would like to learn how to weave. Mrs. Chase is very unique with all of her interests and quirks, including an impressively high IQ of 138, and she says, “I’m really good at remembering things. If someone says something interesting, I remember it, I don’t have to write it down.”
Here are some quotes from some of her students and peers:
“She is a good leader in Envirothon” – Greta Blake
“She has a funny personality” – Aspen Fogg
“Being a student council member for four years, it has been really helpful to have Ms. Chase as a guide. She gives us space to do what we believe are good ideas and then she will help us achieve those goals. She is also pushy when she needs to be, which is helpful as well!” – Belle Holt
“I really appreciate how involved she is with school events like student council and Envirothon. She always goes above and beyond with her teaching, and cares about her students. She’s very adventurous and travels all the time, and I love that about her and I love hearing her stories!” -Hans Bassett
“When I first came here, she was one of the teachers I looked up to because she knows what she’s doing, and as a fellow crafter, we’ve had many creative conversations.” – Frau Mussatti
“I like how Ms. Chase incorporates her own experiences into teaching.” -Emily Richards
“She helped me when I passed out at the blood drive.” – Kaylee Pigott
“She slays leading Envirothon!” – Izzy Healy
“I had her as an Earth Science teacher for my freshman year. She is pretty relatable, and I appreciate her patience with students.” -Jack, journalism co-editor
Mr. Bridges
Mr. Bridges has been working at Mount View for 21 years as the school’s librarian.
“When I first came here, I really liked the family feeling of Mount View. Twenty-one years ago, we were in the old building. There were lots of family farms, and I really enjoyed working with the kids and my fellow teachers,” Mr Bridges says, “In the old school, there were three wings; there was the middle, elementary, and high school. There was only one teacher’s room, and everyone ate lunch there together. It was kind of a jolly time during those 8 years in the old building. When I got there I said, ‘Wow this is where I’m going to stay!’ It felt like home.”
Mr. Bridges said that his favorite thing about Mount View was working with the students, and the “family feeling” he got from being here. He has a small farm, and he plans to do lots of gardening when he retires, and to do more work on his leather smithing business, which he does custom orders for. He also enjoys dabbling in the arts and is looking forward to having time to spend on different creative projects and hobbies.
Here are some positive words said by his pupils and fellow staff members:
“He is really helpful. He knows the answer to everything in the library and with the microphones. He always helps with concerts and pep rallies. He knows all of the behind-the-scenes stuff at Mount View.” – Kricket Thompson and Sawyer Collins
“For any audio or visual needs people can go to Mr. Bridges. What stands out the most is that he is always so willing to help teachers find resources for whatever unit they are planning. He introduced me to Digital Theatre Plus, which I use all the time now.” – Ms. Callahan
“He’s just really cool honestly.” – Anna St. Onge
“He is a really nice person and seems to genuinely enjoy what he does. He is always more than willing to help students and teachers learn how to work the library databases.” – Belle Holt
“He is always willing to help students find books and navigate the library database. He helps with fundraisers and is really good about teaching the sound system to others.” -Sydney Bishop
“I haven’t spoken with him many times, but he seems like a pretty intelligent guy, and he knows what he’s doing, too.” Jack, journalism co-editor
Ms. Hewett
Ms. Hewett (Gloria Hewett) has been working at Mount View for 27 years as a teacher. She has been a strong support for many of her students, always welcoming them in with her kindness and enthusiasm for art. She is not only a teacher for art, photography, and pottery, but she’s also the field hockey and track coach. She has made positive impacts on many of her students, and she gives them a safe and quiet place to go. When asked if she would miss anything about working at Mount View, Ms. Hewett said, “I will miss my students. I will miss the energy and ideas of students.” She adds, “I won’t miss rubrics and grading, but I will miss the kids.” She thinks that fall will be the hardest time because she “won’t be going back to work.”
Our community will always be very grateful for the effort and commitment she put into our programs, and for the encouragement and positivity she has offered to many students throughout the years.
Below are some words that a few students had to say:
“I go to Ms. Hewett’s room during every study hall.” –Mackenzie Burgess
“She is lovely, and she is nice to talk to.” –Kelsea Doughty
“She is sweet, and I love her.” –Lexi Cluney
“She makes classes fun.” –Breana Marr
“She would always encourage me during drawing and painting and said I was doing a good job; it was really sweet.” –Emily Hodgdon
“She allows you to have a creative mindset when doing art and gives constructive criticism.”–Ezra Holt
“She’s very chill and laid back in her style of teaching which is nice. Also a hands-on side of teaching that I enjoy.” –Max Bottenfield
“Ms. Hewett has always helped me along when I was confused on how to do an assignment, or what tools to use for certain clay projects. She has always been understanding and considerate. I have always felt flattered by her faith in me, and believing that I will get my work done and not disappoint her. Ms. Hewett has helped me find my love for pottery and I will forever be grateful to have had her as my mentor and teacher.” –Isabelle Holt
“Ms. Hewett’s class has been a huge stress relief for me. I have also discovered a lot of things I am good at here. I am thankful for the opportunity to be in here and get the chance to enjoy myself and have fun.” –Lottie Eastham
“She was my art teacher in my freshman year and my photography teacher for my sophomore year. She can be funny and she knows a lot about the subjects she teaches and has a lot of resources available at her students’ disposal. She had previously taught my older sister as well, and was one of my sister’s favorite teachers.” –Jack, journalism co-editor
There were many students who had nice things to say about Ms. Hewett.
Congratulations on your retirement. Ms, Chase, Mr. Bridges, and Ms. Hewett! The students, faculty, and staff of Mount View will certainly miss you all.