by Hanna Singh
Ruston High School has announced the recipients of its 2024 Alumni Awards, with Walter Moss, band director and technology coordinator, being named Current Educator of the Year.
Moss began his educational career in the early 1990s, after enrolling as a music major at Louisiana Tech University. His first teaching experience came in 1993 when he was hired as a part-time percussion instructor at Ruston High, a role he held for five years. In the fall of 1998, Moss was appointed assistant band director and quickly promoted to head band director, a position he has held since. After 32 years of teaching, he is still enjoying every moment.
As a veteran educator, Moss is deeply committed to supporting students both in and out of the classroom. He believes that being a teacher goes beyond the academics, and that it means helping shape students into the adults they are becoming. For Moss, education is about a student’s personal growth as much as it is them learning the subject.
“My responsibility is to take a kid wherever they are, and we work to be better,” Moss said. “The joy and wonder of seeing a kid who says “there’s no way ill never be able to do that” grow from wherever they are is what I love. Watching a kid who didn’t think he had those skills bring them out is very rewarding. My job is to teach young adults how to work as a group, understand a chain of command, and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them that most importantly and if they learn some music along the way, that’s great.”
What has kept Moss at Ruston High School for more than three decades are the relationships he’s built with students and the community. As band director, he has attended more than 400 football games, preparing the school band for each one, along with countless basketball games, parades, and other events. Ruston High Principal Dan Gressett credits Moss with making a lasting impact on the school over the years.
“Walter’s been at Ruston High School for many years. He has positively impacted hundreds and hundreds of students who have come through his band program,” Gressett said. “He has done so much for Ruston outside of band also. He is our technology coordinator now, and we keep him busy with that. He has had such a positive impact on the school as a whole. Even though he hasn’t always been in Ruston, he has been a bearcat for many years and brought so much to our community.”
Over the years, Moss has created countless memories, making it difficult for him to choose a favorite. However, his shelf holds a collection of mementos left by students, each one a reminder of the impact he’s made. The admiration from both students and faculty makes it clear that Moss has brought something special to Ruston High. In response to being named Current Educator of the Year, Moss expressed his gratitude to the Bearcat Alumni for the recognition.
“I appreciate this award, and it is an honor for me. I try to stay humble about things, so I am honored and also humbled by it,” Moss said. “I am thankful that they saw it fit that I deserved this recognition. I’m also thankful for the past 32 years of students, and for my students in the future. I am grateful for everything that they have taught me over the years because I am just as liable to the education process as the students. It’s kind of partnership the way I see it.”
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Tickets for the RHS Alumni Association Homecoming Awards Luncheon which will be held Friday, November 1 at 12 p.m. at the Davison Athletics Complex can be purchased at http://www.BearcatAlum.org.
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