For many first-time teachers, the first day of school is filled with new and unfamiliar faces. But for science teacher Caroline Ayres, that wasn’t the case.

Ayres, who returned to her alma mater as a part-time substitute teacher in 2023, graduated from Southwest in 2019 and now works alongside some of her former teachers. Ayres said already knowing people was a positive on the first day.

“I feel like I walked in and knew so many people from day one, so that was definitely a benefit for me,” Ayres said.

One of those was gifted education teacher Jana Tobin, who had Ayres in class every year of high school.

“I had Ms. Tobin my freshman through my senior year,” Ayres said. “Her daughter is also really good friends with my younger sister.”

Because of that personal relationship, Ayres knew Tobin prior to having her as a teacher, and said it was nice having someone at school who she already knew.

“I loved having her as a teacher and it was good to have someone at the school who I knew was always looking out for me,” Ayres said. “Most teachers do that, but just someone on the outside [who] kind of knew everything that was going on.”

Tobin said she enjoyed having Ayres as a student and knowing Ayres previously allowed them to have a closer bond.

“[Ayres] was an amazing student, always very busy and dedicated,” Tobin said. “I think [our personal relationship] gave us a [different] level of closeness because we spent time together outside of school as well.”

Ayres said since becoming colleagues, their relationship has grown.

“I feel like our relationship has definitely gotten stronger; we have a very, very strong, positive relationship,” Ayres said. “She’s just always one of my biggest supporters and really has been since I was a student, and still continues to be that person for me now.”

Tobin agreed and said working together has allowed them to become closer again.

“Having her in the building has just been a wonderful opportunity to renew that relationship we had,” Tobin said. “Obviously it’s different now because we’re colleagues, but it has been such a joy to watch her teach and coach because she has a gift for working so well with people.”

Tobin said she and Ayres had talked while Ayres was in the process of applying, and was excited for Ayres when she was hired.

“I was ecstatic; I was so happy to have her here,” Tobin said. “I think that she was made to be a teacher and is already an awesome cheerleading coach, so it was very, very exciting.”

Both Tobin and Ayres said they enjoy being in the same building again, and Tobin said she is excited to see Ayres as a teacher here.

“It’s such a joy to see her doing a job she was really excited to pursue, and to see her just being great with our students just really makes me proud of and happy [for] her,” Tobin said. “She’s fun and smart, and has a huge heart for helping others.”

Instructional design coach Brandon Hawks is also someone who Ayres knew as a student and now works with. Hawks had Ayres as a student for AP Statistics her senior year, and worked with her closely last year as part of a state-required mentorship program for new teachers. Hawks said he initially learned Ayres would be filling in as a building sub during a staff leadership meeting, and then found out last spring she had gotten a full-time position.

“I was just incredibly excited for her and for Southwest and our community,” Hawks said. “She’s somebody who’s committed to our building, committed to our students, is going to continue to learn and grow, and that’s exactly what you want from a new member.”

Ayres said she enjoyed having Hawks as a teacher and enjoys working with him again.

“I thought he was one of the best teachers I had all through high school,” Ayres said. “I didn’t have a student teaching experience and so he kind of helped me form that experience while I was teaching here, and I feel like I have gone to him for a lot of different things and he never judges and is just wanting to help.”

Hawks said he is glad to work with Ayres again and thinks having Ayres as a teacher has helped their relationship.

“She’s doing a great job and I can tell you that I was absolutely rooting for her to get the position, so it’s awesome to see that she was able to earn that opportunity and take full advantage of it,” Hawks said. “A benefit of us already having worked together before is it really allowed us to hit the ground running. I certainly don’t view her as a student anymore — she’s a colleague, and a teacher and a coach here at Southwest and I really enjoy getting to work with her.”

Ayres said returning to her old high school was exciting, and has enjoyed seeing how it’s grown and evolved.

“I love the community, I love the staff, the students are awesome; it’s just a great place to be,” Ayres said. “This was always such a strong community for me when I was here that I wanted to help build that community for others.”

Hawks said getting to work with a former student is exciting and is glad Ayres is back.

“To have a former student come back and actually get to work with them, it’s just absolutely awesome. It supports this idea that we want to create an environment that people want to be a part of,” Hawks said. “When you have people that leave and then still have this desire to come back, it’s just evidence that you’re building that type of place that people want to come back to, and so that feels really, really good.”