Taking It To The Secondary

Elisabeth McMullin

“I wanted to become a teacher because of my mother’s example,” Williamsburg High School English teacher Elisabeth McMullin said.

She said her mom was an English teacher who went on to work with students who were unable to be in a school building.

“I mostly followed in her footsteps — I also love literature and reading, so it was a good fit for my career,” McMullin said.

She graduated from Altoona Area School District and then went on to Lock Haven University to become an English teacher.

McMullin has been married to her husband, Eric, for 20 years, and they have daughter Erica, 10.

Outside of school, she works at Escape Rooms Altoona, spends time with her family and friends, and is an active member of the Christ Reformed Church in Alexandria.

McMullin said, besides her mother, she had several high school teachers who helped her to see teaching as a great option.

However, she credits Mrs.Mills as having the biggest impact on her.

“She taught me in grade 1-3, and she had all of the first, second, and third graders in the same classroom,” McMullin said.

When Mrs. Mills retired, they had to replace her with three teachers, but while she was there, McMullin said she was very good at knowing exactly what her students needed and provided that to them.

“With me, that meant investing extra time to help me understand some math concepts, but putting me with the third graders for reading since I was advanced in the subject,” she said. “It was her mix of making sure that we learned while still caring about us as students that really stood out to me.”

McMullin started at Williamsburg in 2003, and was hired full-time in 2004.

“I like how everyone on our faculty gets along,” she said is her favorite part of the job. “We may not always agree about everything, but we can all sit down and have a good time at lunch or support each other through difficult times.”

McMullin said she has been part of a school where this is not the case, and it makes all the difference in the overall environment.

“I also love the geographical area of Williamsburg – because it is beautiful in every season,” she said. “I also love the people and how much community pride many of them have.”

McMullin said her teaching philosophy stems from Lock Haven.

“At Lock Haven, they taught us to teach the student, not the subject and I have held onto that philosophy through the years,” she said.

McMullin said the subjects are important and she takes teaching English very seriously and keeping that philosophy helps her remember that her students come first.

“Getting to know them and meet their needs is my primary job,” she said. “Teaching literature and writing is just the vehicle I use to do that.”

McMullin’s favorite part of teaching is being able to teach the same students across several years.

“I enjoy getting to know them well and watching them mature,” she said.

McMullin had a lot of advice to give to students.

“High school is an exciting time, and you should enjoy it,” she said. “Most of the things that seem so massive now will not matter or even be remembered in a few years. Enjoy the time, but keep in mind that there is a whole world out there that you are about to enter and what happens there will be far more important than what has happened in the past few years.”

Chanelle Meadows

“I wanted to become a teacher to help students like myself growing up,” Chanelle Meadows, Williamsburg High School art teacher said. “I struggled a lot growing up with my mental health and the art room was my saving grace in school, it’s where I felt most myself.”

She grew up in Hollidaysburg, graduated high school in 2011, and then went to Liberty University.

Her father owns and operates The Meadows Original Frozen Custard Stand, and her mother, Lisa worked at Foot of Ten Elementary for 23 years before retirement.

Meadows says that her middle school art teacher, Barb Wentz-Leidan was the teacher that affected her the most.

“She was very supportive and encouraged me to be more confident in my art,” she said.

Meadows was hired as a long-term substitute in January of 2021, before being hired full-time as the art teacher in May of 2021.

She said she loves all the students that she teaches in the district and appreciates that Williamsburg is a small district.

“All students can learn to create art – I love watching their ideas come to life,” Meadows said about her teaching philosophy. “I encourage a lot of creative/critical thinking in my classroom and if the students have ideas that are doable I let them try it out.”

She said her advice for students is to be kind and they should alway believe in themselves.

Christine Rhoads

“Williamsburg is home for me — I grew up here, I went to school here, and my children graduated from here —this small community is where my heart is,” Williamsburg High School Band Director Christine Rhoads said about her love for the town.

She graduated from Williamsburg and then went to Messiah College where she received a degree in music education.

Rhoads is married and has two children, and two grandchildren whom she enjoys spending time with when she’s not teaching.

“I always wanted to be a teacher — I loved music and it just seemed to be a natural choice,” she said. “My grandmother was a teacher in the school district, so I am proud to continue that tradition.”

Rhoads said there have been a lot of teachers who have affected her life.

“Maybe in ways that I didn’t appreciate until I became a teacher,” she said.

However, she does credit former band director James Gibboney for introducing her to the flute, which according to Rhoads has become a lifelong love.

She began in the district as a kindergarten aide while both of her children were in school.

Rhoads then became a district substitute and then became the band director in 2017.

“My first year teaching in the high school was the same year my son was a senior, so that was pretty special to me,” she said.

Rhoads said the best thing about her job is the variety.

“No two days are ever the same, and I get to work with all students from kindergarten to seniors,” she said.

Rhoads said she loves that every day comes with different challenges and rewards.

“I think my favorite part of teaching high school is seeing students find what they are good at and developing that,” she said. “I have had many students who did not realize what they could achieve until they got that push to try.”

Rhoads said her teaching philosophy echoes that same sentiment.

“My hope is to still instill a lifelong love of and respect for music, regardless of what they decided to do after high school,” she said. “We are preparing students to be high-functioning members of society, so it is inherently important to teach music because it can improve a person’s mood and general outlook on life, which in turn improves the quality of life.

Rhoads said that music education is important, not only for the marketable skills it teaches, like creativity, discipline, flexibility, and the ability to work cooperatively with others.

“It simply makes life much more enjoyable — we must allow students to find ways to access and express their creative potential for their own sake,” she said.