Wesley Hedgepeth

Still, he was surprised when, a few years ago while cleaning out a closet, his mother discovered some writing he had penned in his earliest days of schooling: “She found a journal entry I wrote. Apparently I said I wanted to be a teacher when I was in kindergarten.”

Fast forward to high school and Mr. Hedgepeth’s love for politics and government took center stage.

In part, it was fueled by the tutelage he received from one of his favorite high school instructors - Frank Whipp, his senior AP Government teacher.

“He was my inspiration,” said Mr. Hedgepeth, who is a native of Hopewell. “He was so passionate about politics, yet he was able to step away from a situation and present both sides, without me figuring out how he thought. That’s something I hope to share with my students.”

Mr. Hedgepeth went to earn a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary social science with a minor in social studies education from James Madison University, with a goal of working in the political arena or in government.

At some point, however, “there was a shift. I had the epiphany that if I could teach, I could not only talk about politics and history every day, I also could work with young people.”

He continued his studies at JMU and obtained a master’s degree in secondary social studies education.

Because he’d had such a meaningful experience with Mr. Whipp, Mr. Hedgepeth decided to teach high school, where students are able to grasp and explore complicated topics.

“I really love to hear the students’ opinions,” he said. "To be able to come to work and learn every single day and talk about history and politics, you can't get much better than that."

Mr. Hedgepeth taught for four years at James River High School in Midlothian and five years at Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, before coming to Collegiate in July 2018.

He said he has been impressed by how new faculty members are welcomed to the School and by the “strength of the community.”

“That support has continued throughout the year and has been really exciting.”

Just as he vividly remembers Mr. Whipp after all of these years, Mr. Hedgepeth hopes his influence on his students will be lingering.

“I would hope they would remember most that I was passionate about what I was teaching them, and that they picked up something they were passionate about and enjoyed. I hope they’re learning skills (in my class) that they can use later on – how to be critical consumers of information and ask questions, especially in this time period of social media and the 24-hour news cycle.”

—Stacy Adams and Samantha Willis