'Welcome Home Rockwood' Alum Returns as Green Pines Music Teacher

During his senior year at Eureka High, Edrance Emmanuel Jr. began to seriously consider what career he wanted to pursue. He had always loved helping and teaching others.

He had always loved music. In fact, he was enrolled in three different music classes at Eureka at the time.

The answer was clear: He wanted to be a music teacher.

“My music teachers had been among the most influential, if not the most helpful, adults in my life,” said Emmanuel, a 2019 Eureka graduate. “Why not do that for as many people as you can, yourself?”

He discussed his future with his former school counselor, Debbie Grimshaw. She let him know about a district mentorship program – Welcome Home Rockwood – that supports Rockwood students and alumni who are inspired to become future educators in Rockwood schools.

“She was one of those people who was caring and always trying to make sure I was doing the right thing: not just with me, but with everyone she crossed paths with,” Emmanuel said. “I applied, and I was in contact with Rockwood during all four years of college. That helped make things a lot easier.”

Emmanuel is starting his first year as the vocal music teacher at Green Pines Elementary. Last year, he served as a student teacher at Green Pines and Crestview Middle in coordination with his college and the Welcome Home program.

He is the first Welcome Home graduate to return to Rockwood as a staff member since the program launched six years ago.

“There are a lot of full-circle moments,” Emmanuel said. “It’s one thing to get a job in the district. It’s another thing when you’re calling an old teacher of yours a co-worker. It’s one of those moments where you don’t just receive the torch, but you see how the torch had been lit while you were in school.”

Welcome Home Rockwood, a collaboration with the Human Resources and Educational Equity and Access departments, provides applicants with benefits such as mentors within the district; internship and cadet teaching opportunities; and support from community partners.

The program is committed to addressing need areas such as hiring staff that reflect the cultural diversity of the Rockwood community, as well as curricular areas such as ESOL (English of Speakers of Other Languages), STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and foreign languages.

Westridge Elementary vocal music teacher Rachel Johnson is serving as Emmanuel’s Welcome Home mentor as well as his first-year teacher mentor. She also serves on the district’s Welcome Home committee.

“We have plenty of diverse students, and we need to have staff who look like them. We thought, what better way than to have our own Rockwood graduates come back and work for us?” Johnson said. “I love being a mentor; I love guiding young teachers. Things are going to be difficult, things are going to be fun, and just helping a young teacher navigate through how to be a teacher, in general, is not easy. I’m always on call. I am always available to my mentees.”

Emmanuel has taken Johnson at her word during his early days as a Rockwood teacher. The two were in consistent contact before the start of the school year, going over district procedures and systems and starting the planning process for the first concert Emmanuel’s students will perform at Green Pines.

He’s excited to be home. He’s also excited to help the next generation of Rockwood educators.

Last year, he met a current Welcome Home student who wants to be an elementary school principal while the student was shadowing then-Green Pines Principal Dr. Paul Godwin.

“I was like, ‘I was the first test subject! So you’re in a good spot because it worked. I’m here!’” Emmanuel recalled. “It’s been a really cool experience. This is a great program. It just shows the support is there. I’m around great staff members and administrators who support me. It’s a program I’m very happy to be a part of.”