With a fresh start of the new year and second semester of school, we have gotten two new exciting teachers and one new staff member to West: Faith Jones, Meghan Wilson, and Mary Todd. Here’s a chance to get to know more about what they do and who they are.
Faith Jones–Data Manager–Guidance Office
“I was at the central office, in finance, and my husband works here too, and we talked about it, and I was just telling him how much I missed working at school. And I was so excited when I heard that this position opened up, so I applied,” said Jones. “I’m most excited about learning a new system and being around students again. The environment that’s in this school is positive and happy, so that’s what I’m really looking for.”
Jones is married to the SRO, Corey Jones, so she has always been around teens and schools. She previously worked in the central office before moving to the coast in early college. Now she is very excited to be back in school helping support students and staff while managing the school’s data to keep everything running smoothly.
Jones is very excited to be here and join the west community. During her interview she mentions she is most excited about learning a new system and being around students again. When asked what she enjoys most about being part of the staff she said that the positivity and excitement makes her experience even better. Jones seems very happy to be here and can’t wait to start the new year surrounded by such a welcoming environment. Whenever Jones is out of school for the summer, she and her husband are working at their own ice cream truck.
“With the free time that I get in the summer, I really enjoy reading and love to be able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine,” said Jones. She has two grown children living independently in Wilmington, but these days, she returns home to the enthusiastic welcome of her two dogs. Jones is on a roll and enjoying her new first week’s at West, so stop by and give Mrs. Jones a warm welcome when you see her.
Meghan Wilson–Civis and EPF–300 hall
“I’ve been an assistant principal for the last 10 years, and I wanted to spend some more time with my four year old daughter,” said Wilson “So an opportunity came up for a job opening up West, and they approved the transfer. So here I am.”
Wilson worked in Union Elementary School for three years and then worked at Cedar Grove Middle School a year before, making her work life very school centered. Wilson had enjoyed being an assistant principal, but it required long after school hours and she believed spending more time with her family would be more important.
“I’m most excited about teaching civics specifically. I’m really passionate about the political process and getting kids excited about being part of the political process, so hopefully I’ll inspire some excitement in that,”said Wilson.
Wilson is excited to start a new school and starting off strong with her strong passion for civics. She shared that she hopes to inspire her students about how the government works and to see them be a part of the political process. With her deep passion and dedication, her goal is to make her class engaging and important for her students.
Wilson is married to Chad Wilson, a school social worker at Cedargrove middle and Supply elementary. They have a 4 year old daughter and a 3 year old Goldendoodle Rescue. In her free time, Wilson enjoys baking, reading, playing golf, and going to the beach with her family. She also spends a lot of time watching sports, particularly college basketball. If you’d like to stop by and talk about sports, then she would love to.
Mary Todd–Health Science II–600 hall
“We moved here permanently back in July, and I had to drive an hour each day to West Bladen high school so instead of driving an hour each day I searched this school up and talked to a few people and saw that this school had a good reputation,” said Todd.
Todd shared her strong enthusiasm for nursing and how much she enjoys working with her students and teaching them real-world experiences. Todd was inspired to become a teacher by one of her former teachers. She enjoyed talking to her and admired her for her style of teaching the students. Now she continues to keep a positive influence, build connections and guide future health care professionals.
“I was born in Florida, but I’ve been living in Bladen County for the past zillion years,” said Todd. “I’ve been a registered nurse for 20 years, I have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, and have been teaching for 14 years.”
Outside of school, Todd enjoys spending her time doing things that help her relax. She likes to go to church, read books, hang out with her friends and family, and go to the beach whenever she can. She has two dogs whom she says are like her babies and she loves coming home to them every day. All these activities allow her to unwind outside of the classroom and help her maintain a good balance between her work and personal life.
Todd has expressed how excited she is to start a new chapter here at WWest and be part of the Trojan pride. She shared how her experience so far has been great and that everyone has been welcoming and nice to her, which helped her get comfortable quickly. She has a lot of experience, being a registered nurse for 20 years, and teaching for 14 years. Overall Todd is excited to be here at West and is excited to meet our staff, teachers, and students. It is an honor to have Todd here with her positive attitude and passion for health science.
The arrival of these new teachers and staff will hopefully give our students new opportunities to learn and understand one another. We look forward to seeing the positive impact they have on our students’ academic and personal growth.
