Mexico: A welcoming community

Mexico: A welcoming community
Posted on 10/14/2020
October 14, 2020- My name is Alison Evans. I am the new principal at Hawthorne Elementary. I recently moved to Mexico back in early August.  Moving was a big change for my family. I have lived in Macon, MO my entire life, except for the two years I lived in Columbia while I attended college.  My husband Joe, had only ever lived in Jacksonville, MO until he moved to Macon after we were married. My children have never lived anywhere else.
Being a newbie to town, especially during a pandemic, is scary. In fact, my fourth grader’s first day of school emotions were happy, sad, and scared.  However, we are very happy we made the decision to move here. We are excited about the new adventures that await us, but we are also a little nervous about the changes. As a mom, I want my children to be happy and I do my best to protect them from their worries. This move brought on a lot of uncertainty, but over the last two months, we’ve seen how positive it’s been for our family. If only our home renovations were going as smoothly!

In the short time I’ve been in the community, I have seen many wonderful things. First, is all the amazing coworkers within my building at Hawthorne Elementary and within the district as a whole. I see staff go above and beyond for students. There are many things community members will never see the staff do because we can’t share confidential information, and we don’t brag about ourselves or others as much as we should. Trust me, it is there! It’s just behind a few walls so you can’t always see it!

Second, is seeing the community step up and help with student needs. Bright Futures helps match student needs with resources through partnerships between the schools and the community. Parents, community members, and businesses have seen our Facebook posts and donating needed supplies. Grandparents have thought about the health of our students and provided PPE supplies. I also can’t forget our amazing PTO members! They are great advocates for our school needs and a hoot to be around!

Third, are the people I’ve met outside of the school walls. Two of my children signed up for YMCA soccer. I had a hiccup with shirts and was unaware of changes between the program here and the program in Macon. Pam, went above and beyond for a stranger who didn’t have a clue what was going on. Brick City Drywall and Painting came quickly for an estimate and patched up my crumbling plaster walls in a flash.  If you’d ask my middle child he would stay that Brick City Buffet is at the top of his list with their friendly staff and cold ice cream. One of the bank tellers at US Bank called me just to give me advice on our new house. She went above and beyond and was super friendly. (I wish I knew her name so I could give her a proper shoutout!) My husband has also mentioned running into people out in the community and how friendly they are.

We hope to continue building our life in this town. I already feel connected and I love that our house has so much history with it. We hope to contribute to that history for a long time to come. Thank you for welcoming us into your community!