Two years ago, Gretchen Alexander arrived at Santa Fe to teach broadcasting, bringing along her legacy from teaching at Parkway High school in Bossier city, LA. She brought more than herself; she brought a heart that was big enough to hold her ambition and the insecurities of every student who walked through her door.    

To the outside world, she is a broadcasting advisor. To students in her classroom, like Jaiden Brunkhorst, she is the person who turned a “random elective” into a future. 

“I didn’t know what I wanted out of life,” Brunkhorst reflects. She found a career path for college and a refound confidence that brought her out of her shell.   

The magic of “Mrs. A” lies in her ability to see the invisible. Kenley Moskalski recalls being a freshman—new, unsure and lacking a circle of friends. Alexander invited her to join the upperclassmen on a trip to Orlando, FL it changed everything. 

“It was nice to know that I was being seen, heard and respected,” Moskalski said. It was the simple act of validation that opened doors for Moskalski, leading her to eventually join the student council. Her high school experience became defined by belonging rather than loneliness.

It isn’t always easy. On the days when energy is low and the world outside the classroom is heavy, Alexander chooses joy. She channels her energy for her mother, Julie Edwards, aiming to be that wild and crazy spark of energy that makes kids want to show up.  

Her and Ed, as Alexander calls her, have been teaching alongside each other for 10 years until Alexander came to teach at Santa Fe.

When Alexander came to teach broadcasting she had no idea what she was doing, confused by the different types of equipment used in the broadcasting program.  

“We couldn’t afford the equipment presented at Edmond Santa Fe,” said Alexander. She goes on more to talk about how her old school didn’t have most of the more high tech expensive necessities.  

She plans on teaching at Santa Fe up until she is going into her retirement.  “I’ll stay here until I’m teaching your grandkids,” Alexander said. 

One last take as a student in her class, I can say that Alexander doesn’t just teach us how to broadcast; she teaches us how to be brave. She is more than a teacher; she is a reminder that one person’s belief in you can change the entire story of your life.