Retirement and Reflection with PRP’s Deanna Hawks

Pleasure Ridge Park High School is preparing for the retirement of a beloved and longstanding leader, Deanna Hawks. As the Academy Coach, Mrs. Hawks’ passion and dedication have been instrumental in building one of the most successful Academy programs in the district. Over her career, she has consistently created hands-on learning opportunities for students, built a robust network of business partners, and transformed the way high school education prepares students for the future. 

As she prepares to embark on her next adventure, Mrs. Hawks sat down for an exit interview to reflect on her career, the evolution of education, and her final message to the Academies of Louisville community.

Q: Why do you think being an Academy Coach would make you a better teacher?

I learned the ins and outs of the Academies of Louisville and what the real-world opportunities were. Going on field trips, bringing in guest speakers, and just branching out of the comfort of my classroom has made me a much better teacher. I was hesitant or afraid to do certain things before, but now I’ve overcome those fears. I was afraid to take 40 kids on a field trip, but I’ve been on hundreds of them and never once had a student act up. Students are friendly and engaged, and they’re excited about getting out of the classroom to see what's going on in the community.

Q: How have you seen high school education change throughout your career, and what role have the Academies played in that evolution?

When I started out, I was more of an elective teacher. I felt that my business class wasn't considered important, just something in addition to English, math, social studies, and science. You had to battle that "I don't need this class to graduate" mentality from students. 

When the Academies of Louisville started, that changed. My class did count. You needed to be post-secondary ready. You needed to get this certification. We’re going to take you on field trips and you’re going to get to see the industry. You might even get to do a co-op and make some money and get a job when you graduate. It made an elective class an important class.

Q: How do you think students have changed over your teaching tenure?

From 2010 until now, social media has been the biggest change. Students now are much more likely to be hands-on and want to get out and see what they can do. It's a different type of learning. They’re not so much sitting down and listening to the teacher. Becoming an Academies of Louisville school helped us fight that battle because we gave kids other things to look forward to, like going on field trips, co-ops, working with business partners, and job shadows.

Q: What role have business and community partners played in the success of the Academies at PRP?

They play a huge role. We wouldn't be successful without them. They give us opportunities. We have business partners who come in and help certify our students in welding. We have lots of guest speakers that talk to our students about what it's like to be in their industry. We go on tons of field trips and industry tours to see what it's like to work at a place like GE Appliances. They also have the opportunity to go on co-ops, which is a huge undertaking for our partners to have students come into their workplace.

Q: You mentioned your family in the interview. Tell us about the pride of the baseball community at PRP, led by your husband.

He has won seven state championships. This past season we met up with Trinity in the final game. They had a lot of Division I players, and we had a lot of junior college kids who were probably a lot smaller, but had much bigger hearts. We scored a run and were on the board first, but in the top of the tenth, they beat us. One run for eight. That’s it.

Q: What is your final message to the Academies of Louisville community?

Keep doing what you’re doing, keep driving this work. It works. It’s successful. We’ve shown that through all the statistics and experiences and students getting jobs and all the business partners we have. I think PRP has over 33 business partners now that we can rely on to show our students what it’s like in their industry and to eventually maybe hire them and to create a pipeline from high school to whatever industry they’re in. We’re bettering our city by doing this, and we’re bettering our students and our schools.

Q: As someone who had a career in business before becoming a teacher, what message do you have for students?

Take school seriously, especially in high school. I’ve had a lot of students say, "I can't qualify for that because I played around my freshman and sophomore year and my GPA is too low." Make good decisions from the beginning of your high school career. Prepare yourself for whatever career you want to do. And like me, a second-career person, if you don't like what you're doing, you can always change it.