Staff Spotlight: April Wilson
April Wilson is a 6th grade Language Arts teacher at East Harford Middle School. In just her fourth year of teaching, she has made a big impact on her students and her school community.
“I think Language Arts gives [students] the power to make change in their life, “said Wilson. “Having the ability to control writing and control what happens in the story really is powerful. I would just love for my students to have a good time in school and realize that they have that power.”
Wilson herself is a product of East Hartford Public Schools. After moving to Connecticut in elementary school, she attended Mayberry School, East Hartford Middle School and East Hartford High School.
Inspired by her own 5th grade teacher, who she says brought energy and inspiration to all of his lessons, she decided to follow in his footsteps by attending UConn and pursuing education. It was always her goal to come back to East Hartford and give back to her community. With the opportunity to teach at EHMS, she said “everything fell into place.”
“It’s literally what I’ve always wanted to do and I’m very happy to be here. I love the kids. I love the people. I love the diversity of East Hartford. There’s just something special,” she said.
Wilson is also the coordinator of the Diversity and Equity Team at EHMS.
“She’s done an amazing job of making this a priority in our school. She leads by example and because she’s so into it, it’s contagious,” explained EHMS Principal Anthony Menard. “She’s done a really great job of bringing that information to our school and using it to benefit students and families.”
Menard says in addition to Wilson’s teaching talent and creativity, she also brings empathy and compassion to her work allowing her to connect to her students.
He said, “What’s interesting about her is that she’s not even close to her ceiling yet. She’s so talented and every day she gets better.”