Junior high teacher continues to impact students after 31 years

As an educator at Fresno Christian for the past 31 years, Hallie Rojeski faces her last year of teaching, striving to continue to impact students both academically and spiritually. 

Since becoming a teacher on campus, Rojeski has witnessed growth and change in many ways. Through the ups and downs of campus development, Rojeski recalls the endurance the school has shown through adversity. 

“You know,  it’s kind of ebb and flow,” Rojeski said. “We’ve had really good things and some weaker things work out of the school so I’d say one of the things is that they’ve been able to deal with adversity. I don’t know if that’s a change but I think that’s a growth; they’ve handled adversity and came through.” 

Rojeski grew up in Denver, CO and before moving to Fresno she lived in different parts of Nebraska.

“We came to Fresno from a little town in Nebraska; Grant,” Rojeski continued. “Part of that I lived in Lincoln, NE. I grew up in Denver, CO and that’s where I went through all my schooling until I went off to college.”

Rojeski teaches Bible class and American history to the junior high students on campus. Every year, Rojeski takes the end of October and all of November to equip the eighth grade class to take the annual US Constitution test, Dec. 6.

“We’re getting ready to take the Constitution test,” Rojeski said. “I think when they stop and think about how far they’ve come, they’d probably be amazed at how much they’ve learned and how much better they understand. Hopefully they understand the Christian impact on our nation and on our Constitution.” 

In the following podcast, Celeste Castañeda interviews Hallie Rojeski on her time at Fresno Christian and future hopes for the students.

Elise Bessey, ‘23, reflects on her emotions leading up to the Constitution test and how Rojeski’s help made her feel prepared to enter the exam.

“Leading up to the Constitution, lots of the upperclassmen told us that the test would be hard,” Bessey said. “I feel like a lot of us stressed out way more than we needed. Honestly, Mrs. Rojeski prepared us perfectly. I felt so prepared when the time came for the big test.”

Junior Mackenzie Beckworth recalls nights of cramming information and memorizing material before the day of the test. Despite the work put into the exam, Beckworth was satisfied with her final score.

“My thoughts leading up to the constitution were filled with dread,” Beckworth said. “There was so much material to cover and I remember staying up late a lot to study. It really stressed me out. I didn’t feel prepared when the test was handed to me but I ended up getting a B+, which to me was everything.”

Rojeski hopes to impact middle school students through Bible class, teaching them life skills to apply not just academically, but spiritually as well.

“Since I also teach Bible I want spiritual growth in the kids,” Rojeski said. “I want them to understand that God is who He says He is and can do what He says he can do. I want them to understand that God is the one true God, and that He has a plan for them, kind of like Jeremiah 29:11.”

Bessey shares how Rojeski impacted her life, not just in school, but also in her process of preparing for high school.

“Personally I feel like Mrs. Rojeski has impacted me a lot,” Bessey said. “I have learned that life is not easy yet, no matter what never give up. She has made me a stronger and more independent individual. Her teaching methods gave us a different view of how to go through school and life.”

Besides her academic improvements, Beckworth noticed her self-esteem and confidence progress as she learned under Rojeski. She expresses gratitude for Rojeski’s teaching methods and work ethic.

“I remember always being so afraid to walk into the classroom,” Beckworth said. “I was a shy person and still am. She taught me how to study and how to succeed by working hard. My self esteem went up in that class because I started to work harder and I found that I was more than capable of getting A’s.”

Rojeski shares two people that mentored her throughout her time on campus and helped her grow spiritually and in her teaching.

“Since I came here I would say a lady named Terri Edmunds impacted me,” Rojeski said. “She taught seventh grade world history and English here for a while and from a spiritual standpoint, she’s been a great spiritual mentor to me.

“Also Mr. Richards, as a teacher,” Rojeski continued. “I learned a lot from him about dealing with kids and being a better teacher; he was really a strong one.” 

Eighth grade students take the Constitution test, Dec. 6 at 8 a.m. Students will resume their normal class schedules after the test. At 12:35 p.m., they will participate in the annual Constitution luncheon to commemorate the students’ academic accomplishments and receive awards.

For more articles, read COLUMN: Cultural differences, teen struggles shape international student or California wildfires devastate communities, impact Sebastopol resident.

Celeste Castañeda can be reached via email.