Harrison comes from long line of educators

Whestley Harrison is originally from Vidalia, La., but two years ago moved to Philadelphia with her husband Austin, who works at Central Mississippi Land and Timber. 

Whestley Harrison graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in family and child studies. In August, she started working at Neshoba Central. Harrison is excited to be part of the Rocket family. She teaches 6th grade inclusion.

Harrison described her move as hard because she has younger siblings in Louisiana, and she's always been close to her family. 

“It was kind of hard, but ever since I’ve been working at the school, I've met a lot of people,” said Harrison. “So, I’ve just adapted, and all of Austin's family is from here, and they have been great with the transition.”

Harrison is currently working toward her master's degree in social education at Mississippi State University.

“I am actually on a one-year teacher’s license that the school gave me until I finished my master’s in May, and then I’ll have my five-year license in special education,” said Harrison. 

Harrison’s whole family is in the education system. Her dad is the superintendent in her hometown. Harrison’s grandmother is on the school board, and her aunt is also a special education teacher. 

“I kind of just got born into it,” said Harrison. 

Her favorite food is deer meat. Harrison and her husband are excited that deer season is about to open back up because one of her favorite things to do is hunting. She is also very passionate about being involved with the church. She attends The Sanctuary, where she and her husband teache Sunday school. 

Harrison is known for her sour cream and chocolate chip pound cake. It is her grandmother’s recipe and her grandmother is also famous for this cake. 

“My husband, he always wants me to make it. I just thought it was a cake,” said Harrison. 

Her cooking influence is her grandmother. Her grandmother gave her a cookbook at one of Harrison's bridal showers, and she lives by it. It’s all of her family's recipes in one book. 

SOUR CREAM 

CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE 

1 box yellow butter cake mix 

1/2 cup water 

1/2 cup oil 

1 small box vanilla instant pudding 

1 8oz sour cream 

1 6 oz pkg chocolate chips 

3 eggs 

Mix together cake mix, water, oil, pudding mix, sour cream and eggs. Fold in chocolate chips. Bake at 350 degrees in a greased and floured Bundt pan for 1 hour. Can also use a chocolate cake mix instead of yellow for a more chocolatey cake. 

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta 

6 chicken breasts, cut into cubes 

6 tsp Tony’s seasoning 

1 stick butter 

3/4 cup green onions, chopped 

1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced 

4 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 

3/4 tsp salt 

3/4 tsp basil 

3/4 tsp black pepper 

3/4 tsp garlic powder

1 quart whipping cream

12 oz penne pasta 

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

Cook penne according to box directions. In large bowl, mix chicken with seasoning. In large pot, melt butter and sauté chicken about 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the next 7 ingredients and cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream, stir well and cook another 6 minutes. Add cooked pasta and toss with parmesan cheese. 

CORN & CRAB SOUP 

1 stick butter, melted

1 can cream of celery soup 

1 can cream of shrimp soup 

1 can cream corn 

1 can whole kernel corn 

3 can crab meat 

3 cups half and half or whole milk 

1/2 tsp garlic salt 

1/2 tsp white pepper 

1 bunch green onions, chopped 

1 Tbsp liquid crab boil 

Put all ingredient in a crockpot and cook for three hours.