Hilary Cassidy is Etowah’s newest math teacher, and she wants to show her students she really cares about them.

“I play rugby, rescue dogs, and I sky dive, but my passion was always teaching,” Cassidy said.

When she first came to Etowah, Cassidy really saw a difference in the type of students she got. They wanted to make themselves better, and actually to learn the material.

“In her class, I know that I’m actually going to learn the material when I walk out of her room,” said Katherine Tilton, sophomore.

Cassidy’s teaching style is derived from how she grew up; Cassidy’s parents were college professors, but they were also self-proclaimed hippies. Teaching her what she needed to know academically, they also made sure she learned about issues that mattered.

“My parents were a major influence on my life, inside the classroom and out of it,” Cassidy said.

Another big influence for Cassidy are her children. She wanted to teach them to be good people and feels like she succeeded.

“My greatest achievement is my boys and how they came out to be decent human beings,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy wants the best for her students; she wants to be able to teach them what matters while making sure they learn the material, too.