Matthew Hodgson, beloved english teacher at Westside by many students and teachers, has hung up his shoes once and for all. After teaching for 11 years, Hodgson is moving on to a new job that he thinks will be an even bigger challenge for him than teaching.

“I always tell my students to challenge themselves and take a bet on themselves, and that’s what I am doing by taking this job at First Data,” Hodgson said.

By taking this job, Hodgson feels that he is grateful to have been presented with such a great opportunity, but will miss Westside.

“The thing that I am going to miss the most is the students,” Hodgson said. “I am not going to miss staff meetings and grading papers, but I am going to miss working with kids.”

Many students that have had Hodgson as their teacher feel that he has encouraged them to learn while making his classroom a fun environment. Sophomore Aleia Budwig feels that Hodgson has “benefited her learning.”

“I was really sad when I found out that he was leaving because he’s such a great teacher that made me hate literature a little less,” Budwig said.

Hodgson reflects on his years at Westside, and has had a very positive impact on the students that he taught.

“I always think that I could’ve done more,” Hodgson said. “I just always hope that when students leave my class they take something away from it, something that they will at least think about somewhere down the road.”