Rhonda Hawkins

From personal finance and general business to MO (Multiple Occupations) and accounting, teacher Rhonda Hawkins will undoubtedly leave her mark on the ledger of AHS. After 31 years of teaching–25 years in Atlantic and 6 in Avoca–the business and financial expert will be retiring from teaching after the end of next year. 

Hawkins decided to retire to follow her son’s basketball career. Ryan Hawkins won three national titles in five seasons at Northwest Missouri State and was named the most outstanding player of the Elite Eight in 2021 while at Creston. “My son wants to go overseas to play basketball,” Hawkins said. “I want to be able to go to some of his games.” Hawkins also wants to “be a volunteer courier for Be the Match.” Be the Match is bone marrow and blood stem cell donation program. This would mean transporting the cells and marrow to transplant hospitals. 

Hawkins says that when she retires, she will miss the students most. “It was a hard decision.” Her favorite part of working here was the “interaction with the students and getting to know them.” She said, “Every day was something different.”

Personal finance is a one-semester class that teaches students how to manage money and plan for the future. “I’ll miss having her teaching style,” Personal finance student Anna Cesaro said,  “She always finds fun activities linked to the topics we’re studying. It would make it interesting and not boring.”