Ms. Hardwick:
Whether you’ve walked past Ms. Hardwick’s room during a heated APUSH debate or a lecture to her freshman history class, one thing is evident: Ms. Hardwick loves what she does. However, after 12 years at SSSAS as a History and Seminar teacher, Advisor, and History Department Chair, Ms. Hardwick will be leaving the school.
When asked what she will miss most about the school, Ms. Hardwick said, “My students and my colleagues…the kids here are awesome. I love teaching you all. It makes me sad that I don’t get the chance to sort of finish out with a certain class.” While she may not be here physically, Ms. Hardwick’s love for teaching and her students will surely remain.
Ms. Hardwick also will miss the camaraderie amongst the teachers, saying, “My coworkers are awesome. My department is awesome, and you know, I’ll miss working with them every day.”
Additionally, you can’t talk about Ms. Hardwick without talking about the history department’s epic Halloween costumes, and if you’ve taken any history class at this school, you have definitely seen “George Washington Crossing the Delaware.” So, when the history department reenacted this scene in 2022, it earned a spot as one of the best costumes in SSSAS history. Ms. Hardwick reminisced on this moment, saying, “Yeah. That was amazing. That was a great memory. I will take that picture with me everywhere I go and brag about it.”
SSSAS’s “best duo” award would definitely be given to Ms. Hardwick and Ms. Fusina. The pair teach AP research and seminar together, but their friendship is more than just co-teachers. Ms. Fusina said they would “occasionally drive each other to school. I [Ms. Fusina] will miss those morning chats together before the work day started. We have also travelled together to a conference and attended AP trainings together. While those are work things, I will miss having a friend to attend those work things with.” While we will all miss seeing our favorite duo walking together in the hallways, Ms Fusina said that she will also miss bouncing “ideas off of her and brainstorming lessons, solutions, and new ideas together.”
Ms. Hardwick’s next job will be teaching at St. Andrew’s School in Delaware, where Ms. Hardwick actually went to high school! Ms. H is excited for the “opportunity to go back to a place that made me fall in love with history.” In addition, Ms. H will also be coaching, except she told them, “I have no athletic talent, but I can organize and I can yell at students so they get to put me where they need me.” We are eager to hear about Ms. H’s new experiences in both academics and athletics!
St. Andrews is a 100% boarding school, so Ms. H could possibly be a dorm parent, but will live on campus whether she is one or not. Ms. H may go out of her way to avoid SSSAS students in public, but she will be completely flip flopping by living on the same campus as her students. Ms. H says that she is excited for this but “it will be a big change.”
What makes Ms. H so special is how much she cares for her students. She knows how important it is to show up, “not just whether it’s meeting with students during STAT or lunch, but also showing up to plays and games and concerts.” When Ms. H is teaching, she thinks it’s important to “care about them as people, too. I think that the relationship helps them be a better student in your class, when you know them, not just in your class.” Ms. H’s efforts have paid off because anyone who has been in her class would 100% say that they love having her as a teacher.
While we wish we could hold on to Ms. Hardwick for just a little while longer, we are thankful to have been a part of her journey. Ms Hardwick clearly loves to teach, and I think I speak for every one of her students when I say that you always feel supported in her class. Between dressing up as Founding Fathers for the midterm or admiring her Eras Tour-inspired APUSH poster, Ms. H makes learning engaging and fun. She is witty, smart, and an amazing teacher, and always has a comeback. We will miss you so much, but we wish you the best of luck in the future! Come back and visit!!
