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Last updated on Wednesday, May 10, 2017
(MITCHELL) - From teaching a P.E. class at Mitchell Junior High School to student counseling at Mitchell High School, Julie Hewetson has been teaching and inspiring students of the Mitchell community for 38 years.
This will be the last year for Hewetson in the school corporation. She will begin her retirement June 2.
Hewetson said, "I appreciate the opportunity to serve Mitchell schools and become acquainted with so many kids and the students I have now, I had their parents in school. And its just been a nice connection there to be familiar to them and have a parent call and say, 'Hey, I remember you from school and now this is my child.' I will definitely miss that connection that I had to the Mitchell community."
That connection to the Mitchell Community includes her many students. Hewetson said that she and her students always had good banter as they were always teasing each other.
Hewetson said, "Kids would stop by and you know chat and pick up a piece of candy on the way out the door, that was kind of a family tradition. My dad always did that."
She is a fourth-generation educator. Her father was a principle at two local schools and her mother, grandfather and great grandparents were teachers.
"[Dad] always told me, 'If you keep candy on your desk, you'd be surprised how many students you can contact each day.' Is it bribery? I hope not. But at least that's contact every day that you might not see with that student."
Hewetson is ready to start the next chapter of her life. She said, "I'm just, kind of excited to take a little bit of time you know just for myself, do some traveling, and I don't know, even things like cleaning out the garage. [Things] that I haven't had a chance to do."
Her travels will have to wait, however. Hewetson has two grandchildren on the way.
Hewetson will leave her students with this advice, "One of my favorite things I always say that they don't always like to hear is that hard work pays off... In school... In life... and you know just to keep on working to achieve your goals and make sure that you challenge yourself."
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