HOLLY MOONEYHAM TEXARKANA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT & TEXARKANA COLLEGE
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School was a refuge for me. I knew the influence of a great teacher and wanted to be that for my students.
When Holly Mooneyham graduated from Arkansas High School in 2006, she knew what she wanted to do with her life: she wanted to be a teacher. “My mom jokes about how I would play school when I was little, but high school is what really solidified my career choice. After watching my three older siblings drop out of high school, I knew I wanted to help students. Out of 10 siblings, only three of us graduated high school, and I’d like to think I was instrumental in my two younger siblings graduating,” Holly says. “School was a refuge for me. I knew the influence of a great teacher and wanted to be that for my students.” While getting her degree, Holly worked at Pinson Park Preschool with the Pre-K4 students, and while she thought her little students were “adorable,” she knew she wanted intellectual conversations with older students. Holly was hired directly out of college by Texas High School in Texarkana Independent School District and has been there ever since. “They took a chance on a new teacher, and I hope they haven’t regretted it,” Holly says. “I’ve taught every grade level between 9-12th, and I’ve taught different levels including Pre-AP, remedial, on-level, and dual credit. I am also going into my 5th year as an adjunct professor at Texarkana College, where I teach online dual credit courses to area schools.” Holly has had a few big accomplishments in the last 12 years as a teacher. One of those 026
accomplishments occurred in her sixth year of teaching when she won Region 8 Teacher of the Year. “More recently, I became the Texas High School English Department Chair, which has allowed me to work closer with my teachers in my department and be an advocate for them in any way they need me,” Holly says. For Holly, the most rewarding part of teaching is the relationships she builds with her students. Some of them become lifelong friends, while others she gets to observe through social media. Holly usually teaches students in 9th grade, but then she may teach them again in her 12th-grade dual credit classes. “It’s so fun to see their growth in those few years,” Holly says.
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