Chase Hampton’s story has come full circle. A 2015 graduate of Hilliard Darby High School, he is now a seventh grade math and We Build it Better teacher at The Hub – Innovative Learning Campus.
He said the Hilliard City Schools Academy Edu program that he participated in as a student is a key part of his success today.
“Letting students explore different pathways while the risk and cost are low is something Hilliard Schools did and continues to do well. I got to observe a lot of areas through the Academy Edu program while I was here, which helped me determine that that’s what I wanted to do as a career,” he said.
He was recruited to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, a Division I school where he ran cross country and track, before wrapping up his degree at Otterbein University when COVID-19 put an abrupt halt to his student teaching.
He feels fortunate to have gotten his foot in the door as a tutor at Weaver Middle School during the 2020-2021 school year. He then worked as a seventh grade math teacher at Weaver for a year before being offered his current job.
Mr. Hampton is excited about the opportunity to be part of Hilliard’s innovation at The Hub. Two years ago, they paired the curriculum from Flight Works Alabama with the existing math program of study to help students learn math through real-world application. For example, they use 3D printers while learning about scale and measurement, and Raspberry Pi computers to code and build calculators that actually work to solve equations.
He loves the sense of family and community that Hilliard provides.
“When students learn that I went to school here, I think it gives me a leg up on relating to them,” he said. “I also love that in 10-15 years, some of my students could be my colleagues and I’m building relationships that will one day turn into friendships just as my relationships with former teachers and coaches have turned into friendships.”
Some of those teachers and coaches include Mrs. Gongwer, his Academy Edu teacher who has since retired but who he still likes to bounce ideas off of when they connect, and Mark Tremayne, his high school cross country coach and teacher at Darby. Today, Mr. Tremayne is the Director of Innovation and Extended Learning.
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