GM Love: Scott and Jessica Hutchinson

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, General McLane School District shared love stories from within the district. 

Scott and Jessica Hutchison, both elementary school teachers in the district, met when they were at Clarion University during Jessica Hutchison’s freshman and Scott Hutchison’s sophomore year.

He teaches fourth grade at McKean Elementary and she teaches third grade at Edinboro Elementary. He has been in the district for 13 1/2 years, while she has been in the same one for 12 years.

They met through mutual friends living in the same dormitory and were both part of the Christian organizations on campus. After a year of close friendship, the two began dating. Shortly after, Jessica Hutchison’s parents went through a divorce.

“I can’t describe the support he and his family were to me through that time. We have never left each other’s sides and are there for each other through thick and thin, and he is truly my best friend,” she said.

Scott Hutchison grew up in the Edinboro area and graduated from General McLane High School in 2001. He graduated from Clarion in December 2005 and moved back to the Edinboro area, where Jessica Hutchison did her student teaching at Millcreek Township School District.

In spring 2006, he was offered a first-grade long-term substitute position at Edinboro Elementary.

“It was during this time that I started running my engagement ideas by my first grade team during our MANY lunch periods,” he said. “As a guy in an elementary building with many women, this made for good lunch talk.”

The teachers steered Scott Hutchison in the right direction. He proposed in a beautiful part of the woods, surrounded by Christmas lights and pink tulle draped around a table topped with wine and cheesecake. With the couple’s favorite song playing, he got down on one knee and popped the question.

The following school year, Scott Hutchison took a sixth grade science and social studies position at James W. Parker Middle School. He then moved to fifth grade in January where he taught language arts and social studies. All the while, Jessica Hutchison was also substitute teaching at the middle school.

“I remember how difficult it was for us ‘newlyweds’ to see each other in the hall and NOT be holding hands,” he said. “Things were really falling into place for both of us.”

They both knew General McLane was “home” for them.

“There was a different feel here, one of strong community and a family feel,” she said. 

The following school year, Jessica Hutchison got hired at Edinboro Elementary and Scott Hutchison moved to McKean Elementary.

“With our content so similar, this was the perfect opportunity for us to get to collaborate and discuss best practices for the classroom,” he said.

The couple has been married for 12 years and has two children: Sam and Maya. And after all the years, their passion remains the same: teaching.

“Having the same career really helps us understand each other and the time commitment that teaching is. We both go to school every weekend, making sure our weeks ahead are planned and organized, and that we are fully addressing our curriculum through our planning,” Jessica Hutchison said.

Through kids and crazy work schedules, they still find time to prioritize their relationship.

“Our dates often consist of coffee shops, where we can relax and have time to work on some school work, but also just enjoy being together. We both love our careers, despite the many extra hours it takes, and couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine anyone else by my side through this crazy busy life.”

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