Janice J. Higdon is a native Texan. She is the only daughter of Jean and Dain Higdon (deceased past president of HFA). She and her two older brothers and parents moved to the big city of San Antonio, Texas after living in Pleasanton, Texas, for seven and one-half years. She attended the Alamo Heights schools where she studied the regular curriculum plus joined the high school choir.
After graduating from Alamo Heights, she attended Southwest Texas State University (presently named Texas State University), where she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Education, with Majors in History and Biology.
Janice worked for ten years in the East Central Independent School District, teaching American History, Texas History, Life Science, and General Science. She was the History Chair for five years. After ten years with the ECISD, Ms. Higdon decided to try a new experience and moved to New York City, New York.
Ms. Higdon was lucky enough to be hired at a magnet middle school for the performing arts. While there, she was a member of the curriculum team that wrote a new curriculum Teaching Core Subjects through the Performing Arts. As a member of the Performing Arts faculty, she helped stage plays, musicals, talent shows and concerts (one each month during the school year). Ms. Higdon taught Science and History as well as one class of Spanish, while on faculty at LaSalle Jr. High. While a member of the faculty, Janice also wrote two plays and three short stories. One play was a short run off off off Broadway and was quite an experience. Her writing efforts are still looking for publication and production. After four struggling years, Ms. Higdon returned to Texas to pursue her Master's Degree in Instructional Technology at The University of Texas at Austin. While Ms. Higdon worked on her Master's and course work for a Doctoral degree, she taught preservice teachers computer literacy at the University of Texas at Austin.
In 1996, Ms. Higdon joined the North East ISD team, where she taught 6th Grade science at Nimitz Academy, before being transferred to John H. Wood Middle School. While at Wood Middle School she taught American History, Texas History, and 6th Grade Science, before she became the Computer Network Coordinator. At the present time Ms. Higdon is the CNC for Wood Middle School, where she is responsible for all the teacher computers, labs, and inventory for the school. She develops curriculum utilizing technology for her teachers.
During her teaching career, Ms. Higdon has been awarded “Teacher of the Year” at three different schools, PTA President of the Year, and has received two Lifetime Membership awards from two different PTAs (one on a state level and one on a national level).
When Janice J. Higdon moved to New York City, she was introduced to the Higdon Family Reunions. Her parents and aunts had always attended, but 1985 was the first HFA Reunion for her. She drove from New York City to Waldorf, Maryland. While there she presented a slideshow about San Antonio, Texas, encouraging people to come to San Antonio, for the 1986 annual meeting when her Dad (W. Dain Higdon) was to be President. At the 1986 meeting, she served as a gopher and tour guide. She has attended all the HFA meetings since 1997. Janice has served as the editor of the newsletter; she published the news from October 1998 through September 2002. She has served as a director and has worked her way through the Vice President chairs to become President of the association. Janice looks forward to seeing everyone at the 2007 annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
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