DID YOU KNOW?
Tacoma’s story spans more than two centuries from the time Captain George Vancouver anchored off Tacoma’s north shore in 1792.
In 1870, Tacoma’s natural deep-water port became an attraction that the Northern Pacific Railroad couldn’t pass up, when it made Tacoma a stop on its transcontinental line.
Old Tacoma and New Tacoma merged in 1884 and incorporated as Tacoma. By 1890, the population reached 36,000 people.
Tacoma is home to the Port of Tacoma, the seventh-largest container port in the United States, and it is within 20 miles of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and 36 miles of the city of Seattle.
Heidi Huckins,
Middle School/Upper School Instrumental Music, Pep Band
Heidi Huckins teaches instrumental music in the Middle School and Upper School. She directs sixth through twelfth graders in the beginning band, concert band, jazz ensemble, symphonic band and orchestra. More than anything, Huckins loves teaching music to kids.
When she married drama teacher John Forier in 2005, four former students played at their wedding in New Hampshire. A current student wanted to come to the wedding and give a toast. He was told that if he got himself there, he would be more than welcome to give a speech. He came all the way across the country and Huckins says he did a beautiful job.
Huckins hopes her students remember her as someone who cared about them as a person, as well as a student. “I also hope they take one musical moment with them—a time it all came together for them,” she says. She particularly enjoys teaching chamber music where students perform in small groups of 2 to 10 without a conductor. “It’s a great way for them to learn independence and communication.”
Huckins loves working with kids outside the classroom too. “Working as a coach and leading outdoor education trips affords you the opportunity to meet students that you may never teach and develop a relationship with them,” she says. “You also get to work with your students in a different setting so you are able to know more about them than just how they are in your class.”
Huckins holds a bachelors in music from the University of New Hampshire and a masters in music from the University of Colorado. She worked at the Apple Hill Center for Chambers Music in New Hampshire for a number of years. Since she began teaching at Charles Wright in 1999, she has coached volleyball and pep band, and led many outdoor education trips. She also coaches the clarinet sections of two youth orchestras within the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association. She is a triathlete and loves hiking, running, biking, swimming and hot yoga.
Visit her web site
When she married drama teacher John Forier in 2005, four former students played at their wedding in New Hampshire. A current student wanted to come to the wedding and give a toast. He was told that if he got himself there, he would be more than welcome to give a speech. He came all the way across the country and Huckins says he did a beautiful job.
Huckins hopes her students remember her as someone who cared about them as a person, as well as a student. “I also hope they take one musical moment with them—a time it all came together for them,” she says. She particularly enjoys teaching chamber music where students perform in small groups of 2 to 10 without a conductor. “It’s a great way for them to learn independence and communication.”
Huckins loves working with kids outside the classroom too. “Working as a coach and leading outdoor education trips affords you the opportunity to meet students that you may never teach and develop a relationship with them,” she says. “You also get to work with your students in a different setting so you are able to know more about them than just how they are in your class.”
Huckins holds a bachelors in music from the University of New Hampshire and a masters in music from the University of Colorado. She worked at the Apple Hill Center for Chambers Music in New Hampshire for a number of years. Since she began teaching at Charles Wright in 1999, she has coached volleyball and pep band, and led many outdoor education trips. She also coaches the clarinet sections of two youth orchestras within the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association. She is a triathlete and loves hiking, running, biking, swimming and hot yoga.
Visit her web site
