TBird Teacher Feature: Meet Mr. Alex Higgins, music director at NCHS. Originally from Linn, Mo, his house is full with one son Jay, a dog named Mitzi, and Oliver, Franklin, and Luna the three family cats. Mr. Higgins has had numerous travel experiences through music. In college, band took him all over the US, to China, and to Ireland. He also marched and performed in Barack Obama’s 2009 Inauguration Parade. He was raised in a house of educators and noticed in high school that he was good at helping people understand difficult musical concepts. Influenced by his high school band and chorus directors, Mr. Tom Higgins and Ms. Linda Krueger, he then went on to become a teacher. When asked what he looks forward to the most when working with the students at NCHS Mr. Higgins states, “I look forward to that moment when the spark of understanding lights up. In music, this often happens when a troublesome passage or difficult harmony locks in for the first time. It is fantastic to see the looks on the kids’ faces when this happens and they realize what is possible.” Something you might not know about Mr. Higgins is that he is training for a marathon and will run it on November 18th! To Mr. Higgins being Thunderbird Proud means, “Always giving 100% at everything you do. No matter what it takes, always do your best.” Mr. Higgins is always busy….making a difference in the lives of NCHS students. Stop in and say hello or catch him at a ballgame sometime with his band! #ThunderbirdProud