Teacher of the Year, Katie Messerly

TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Katie Messerly was selected by her fellow teachers as Harding Fine Arts Academy's second teacher of the year.

Katie Messerly has taught at Harding Fine Arts Academy for over three years. In addition to teaching junior-level English, she coaches the Speech & Debate Team and Volleyball Team. Her passion for teaching started in her sophomore year of high school because of influential teachers like her former high school English teacher, Mr. Nemetz. “He had us call him Coach, partly because he was the head football coach, but also because he said he was there to coach us on life and not only literary skills,” she said. Now Mrs. Messerly hopes to be that role model for future educators in her classroom.

She was drawn to work at Harding because of its mission of arts-integrated education. Messerly also appreciates the small community that HFA faculty has cultivated. One of her favorite aspects of teaching is seeing the way students accept and support each other. “I have never felt so close to my fellow teachers, and the community we have built cannot be beat! I only see the community getting stronger in the years to come.”

Messerly’s advice to future educators is to “dive right in” and ask questions of current teachers. “Do not wait for college courses to seek out opportunities to learn more. . . Foster your interest and let others help and guide you. Do not be afraid to pursue your passion.”

Left to right: Kenya Guidry, Katie Messerly, Carly Heitland