People

By: Max Noriega If you’ve seen a new blonde staff member at Federal Hocking High School, then you’ve probably seen Haley Schmidt. This is Schmidt’s first year, but since she is a teaching fellow, this will be Schmidt’s only year at FH. Schmidt is an intervention specialist and typically teaches Math and English for small groups grades 9-12. Schmidt is getting her master’s degree at Ohio University. Schmidt has always wanted to be a teacher and likes working with kids. Her love of teaching stems from her parents. Her mother is a math and science teacher and her father is…

By: Mikyai Scott English teacher Valerie Forrider is the newest addition to Federal Hocking High School staff, and she is making an outstanding first impression.  Before her teaching career, Forrider was a STNA and a phlebotomist. Forrider decided she wanted to be a teacher so she majored in AYA English Launguage Arts.  Forrider attended school at Marshal University for one year after high school, and then got her college credit at Rio Grande for four years. Before she became a teacher, Forrider started substitute teaching at schools in West Virginia, Southern, and Meigs for a year.   Forrider enjoys being a…

By: Hailey Young-Stewart Sometimes you might not actually think about who’s working around the school until you actually need help. There’s a new person sitting front and center, whether to help you plan for your future, need someone to talk to, or simply need to change a class. The new Guidance Counselor, Savannah Briles, at Federal Hocking High School is here to help. Briles has come to fill in the role quickly and quite well after the departure of FH’s old Guidance Counselor Emma Wright. For Briles, the path to becoming a guidance counselor has been years in the making.…

By: Elizabeth Boyd   Kaitlyn Jarrell, Federal Hocking’s former English teacher came back to FH after leaving. Before getting officially hired for the 2024-2025 school year, she was a student teacher with Robin Hawk, and than taught for FH for one year, and now she's back again. For this school year, Jarrell is filling in for Valerie Forrider while she’s on maternity leave. Jarrell says she decided to come back to fill in because she really loves the community and the students really wanted her back. She was at first scared that people wouldn’t welcome her back, but she’s actually…

By: Rilo Wilkes Federal Hocking is a school that since its conceptualization has always prided itself on its band. Marching, concert, jazz: Fed Hock has all things music, and while this still holds true today, if you ask any of the members today about their experience, they’ll all mention the constant change in directors. The instability in the directing staff started early last year, when the band director of 13 years, Julia Brewer, announced that she would be leaving the school for a position at Ohio University. This announcement was a somber one, as Brewer had cultivated a really nurturing…