By Fancy Robbins
There are many things to take into account when finding a new place to work. How far is it? How much will you get paid? But for Mrs. Haley Hissong, her love for God helped her.
Mrs. Hissong is a new biology teacher at Delta High School.
“God has called us into a ministry much bigger than ourselves that often involves students, so I finally felt the pull to apply to Delta when I saw the opening and prayed about it,” Hissong said.
She is from Hartford City. The previous school she worked at, New Haven High School near Fort Wayne, was an hour there and an hour back. Delta is only about 15 minutes away from Hartford City.
The 2023-24 school year is her fourth year of teaching, though she has been working in schools since she was 18 years old and is 26 now. She has six sections of Biology 1.
“I love making relationships with the students and being able to relate to them,” Hissong said.
During her senior year of high school, she was enrolled at Purdue University to become a wildlife biologist. But, she knew that wasn’t what she wanted to do.
Then, she enrolled at Ivy Tech Community College for culinary, because she enjoys decorating cakes. A day before classes started, she decided that wasn’t the plan either.
“I was like you know what, I always helped my peers in class,” Hissong said.
She then decided she would be a substitute teacher until she knew what she was going to do with her future. She soon got hired to become an instructional aide after she was a substitute.
“I decided that’s what I wanted to do,” Hissong said. “I felt the pull to be a teacher.”
She then continued her education at IU East online, getting a degree in biology. She did a separate year and a half in school to receive her teaching certificate.
Her husband, Colton, also works at Delaware Community Schools. He is a history teacher, but currently teaches science at the middle school. They’ve worked in the same school district for six years.
They both agree that Delcom has been welcoming.
“It feels like a family, and Colton said the same thing,” Hissong said. “The staff feels like they just know each other and support each other.”
The couple also has two toddler boys, Carson and Cohen, who are three and four years old. When she isn’t at school, she enjoys taking care of them and playing with them. They like to play outside and sit near train tracks to watch the trains roll by.
The family also spends a lot of time with their church, Grace & Mercy Gospel Church in Hartford City. Haley spends about seven hours a week singing with her worship team.
She also enjoys reading, and reads about one book per week.
