Abby Hess, CFF Springfield High School Scholarship Recipient, Plans to Be an Impactful Educator

Abby Hess

By Samantha Matthews*

For Abby Hess, the importance of student-teacher bonds — which made a mark during her own experience at Springfield High School — is something she plans to emulate in her future career. Abby, a recent recipient of the Casey Feldman Foundation Springfield High School Scholarship, recalls her impactful teachers as why she wanted to pursue a career in education, as a thirst for knowledge has always been a big part of her. “Every day after school I would come home, and review my day with my mom,” she said. “I would tell her what I learned and the tests I took. I’ve always had this drive to learn about more things.”

Even though Abby didn’t get to have a traditional graduation and is currently spending her first year attending school remotely due to the pandemic, she couldn’t be more grateful for Springfield High School’s effort to make graduation special, the extra time spent with her family, and the opportunities the future holds.

Now studying English secondary education at the University of Delaware, Abby hopes to one day be the teacher that students come to for everything — from homework questions to life advice. “I want to have a really good over arching presence as a teacher, like the teacher that everyone wants, not just because they have a cute room, but because of who they are as a person,” she said. 

As an educator, Abby plans to use her leadership experience, something she has always stood out for amongst her peers. Abby spent most of her high school career at the Scrivener’s yearbook. At the end of her sophomore year—after serving as the yearbook’s co-editor—the Scrivener’s advisor, Dr. Brett, presented her with a mini version of their yearbook in the form of an ornament and asked her to take on the role of chief editor. 

Abby gladly accepted, and recalls this as being one of the most formative moments during her tenure at the yearbook, and her entire tenure at the publication as something that allowed her to connect with others at the school. “My time at the yearbook helped me become more connected with underclassmen, upperclassmen, and the whole community,” she said. “It also made me learn a little more about different subjects like sports, which definitely wasn’t something that I was accustomed to.”

Beyond her time at the yearbook, Abby has also dedicated her time volunteering with students who have special needs, which taught her things she hopes to put to use in the future as a teacher. “The first couple of years, I partnered with a little boy who had down syndrome and I learned a lot of problem solving from him,” she said. “Also, I found just showing them love was really important. Not necessarily just being there to teach them, but also to be their friend and to show them good intentions.”