Marielle Hart, Riverfront School and Career Center education supervisor
For the past five years, Marielle Hart has taught at Riverfront School and Career Center, and currently serves as their education supervisor. Having attended an alternative high school in Eugene herself, Marielle knew that she wanted a career where she could teach and support students. She says that attending an alternative high school changed her trajectory in life. She was able to access education in ways that she couldn’t have at a traditional high school. She got the one-on-one help that she needed from teachers that were invested in her well-being and success, and she was given plenty of second chances. She says that her alternative school caught her when she fell through the cracks.
After finishing up high school, Marielle moved on to Lane Community College, before transferring to the University of Oregon and earning her bachelor’s degree in comparative literature. During her senior year, she was recruited by Teach for America. She jumped on the opportunity and spent the next few years teaching upper elementary school in the Bronx while she earned her master’s degree in education at Pace University. She taught in New York City for seven years before she returned to Eugene in 2015 to raise her family.
When Marielle moved back, she knew that she wanted to be a part of Looking Glass Community Services so that she could serve our community’s youth and their families. She notes that many of her students face more challenges than just accessing education. Some of them experience homelessness, poverty, trauma, or have mental health issues. This in turn can affect their attendance and behavior at school. For many students, those obstacles are at the forefront of their minds and need to be addressed before they can focus on successfully learning.
Marielle and the entire staff at Riverfront do what they can to meet their students’ needs and hold them tighter. They have small class sizes, with 12 students in their largest classes. This allows the teachers to make stronger connections with the students. Marielle says that because of this, she can check-in with each of her students individually every day, and make sure that they are getting the most out of their classes. Additionally, Riverfront operates with a Restorative Justice model. That means that when negative things happen, staff and students try to right wrongs and repair harm by acknowledging the harm and taking accountability. Marielle says that it’s all about holding them tighter. The students learn from the Restorative Justice model, rather than be pushed away by punitive measures. It leads to stronger relationships and helps to keep the school community together.
Marielle says that it is rewarding to support the kids when they are struggling and help them get the quality education and services that they need and deserve. She says that she cries at every graduation, stressing that, “many of our youth have worked so hard and overcome a lot of obstacles to get their education—it’s amazing and very rewarding to watch them succeed.” With school closures, the students have faced even more challenges, but the students pushed through and made it! This year, close to 20 students will have earned their high school diploma or GED. Marielle, along with everyone else at Riverfront, are looking forward celebrating the Class of 2020 in June.
When asked what her hopes are for her students, Marielle says, “The kids that we work with are so resilient. They are amazing. They deserve the world.” She hopes her students know that they have the love and support of the Riverfront community. She wants them to get a great education and have the confidence to go out and achieve their goals. She hopes that they will focus on their community and continue to model resilience for others.