During the 2024-2025 school year, Sidwell welcomed Upper School Latin Teacher Hugh McElroy and Upper School English Teacher and Asian American Studies Chair Aaron Hwang.
McElroy spent the past two years at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., serving as a part-time Latin teacher and a part-time Religion teacher, and before that, he worked at the Field School. While at the Field School, McElroy was a faculty sponsor for both the Gender and Sexuality Alliance and the student LGBTQ+ affinity group at the school, and he attended many student performances. At Episcopal, however, he lived far from the school’s campus, which limited his involvement in the school’s community.
While McElroy does not identify as a Quaker, he resonates with Quaker values. According to McElroy, his students’ ideas are equally important to adults, aligning with the Quaker ideology of seeing God in everyone. McElroy also recognizes learning as an “open-ended process” and thinks the Quaker idea of Continuing Revelation is crucial in education.
Hwang began teaching at the University of Iowa while he was a graduate student and continued his job after graduation. He views teaching as a performance, remarking that “[teaching is] not so different from being on stage.” He hopes to encourage his students to get onto the stage and let their inner light shine to be “independent leaders of their own classroom.”
Hwang aspires to bring energy and humility to the Sidwell community. He recognizes the importance of these qualities in teaching because “there are too many truths [in the world] to know everything” — especially when it comes to Asian American Studies. Hwang plans to enter the new school year with an open mind and the notion that there is always room for improvement.
Hwang looks forward to teaching in the new Upper School building, meeting new faculty chairs and learning Sidwell’s practices. He also finds comfort in knowing that the English department is open and friendly. Hwang recalls how, at his last position, “nobody ever mentored [him] or even checked in on [him]. Here we all feel like part of a team.” Hwang is impressed by Sidwell and how the Quaker values remind the community that “we aren’t just here to work, we are here to be our best self.”
