TWIN FALLS — As a veteran teacher of 40 years, Juli Hall has experienced an interesting phenomenon: working alongside former students.

Hall, who’s now teacher librarian at South Hills Middle School, used to teach English/language arts. She knew Ryan Nesmith and Hope Gibson when they were teenagers. Now, they all serve together on the Twin Falls School District’s communications committee.

“So many times as educators, we go into the classroom and it’s important to teach the lesson,” Hall said Wednesday. “This has been a great experience down through the years to realize those are not just students in the classroom. Those are adults in the making.”

Hall started teaching in 1978. Over the years, she took a little bit of time off to raise her children and lived in Oregon and other parts of Idaho, but has spent the bulk of that time teaching in Twin Falls.

Hall said it was exciting the first time she saw Nesmith and Gibson as educators.

Gibson — who is in her third year of teaching — teaches social studies and history at Vera C. O’Leary Middle School. Hall was teaching at O’Leary when Gibson was hired.

“I saw her come in the door and knew she was on staff with me,” Hall said. She taught Gibson during the 2008-09 school year.

For Gibson, she’s happy to be teaching at O’Leary, where she went to school.

“It was comforting to me when I was going to be a first-year teacher to come back to the place where I learned,” she said.

Gibson knew some of her former teachers would be there and she wouldn’t be alone, she said. “I would have those other people to rely on.”

Gibson grew up in a family of educators and her parents are teachers. “For me, I grew up around education and the ins-and-outs around education,” she said. “The opportunity to continue that is really powerful.”

Nesmith — who has been an educator for 10 years and is vice principal at Twin Falls High School — was at a school district committee meeting when he recognized Hall, who’s also a committee member.

Hall recognized her former student, “but I was never really sure,” she said. “I was never sure if I wanted to call him out.” But Nesmith did say something. He asked Hall if she remembered him — a former student from 1999.

Nesmith said he loved his experience as a child in the Twin Falls School District. He grew up with a single mother who taught him the importance of education and the choices he’d make.

He had a lot of great teachers, too — “teachers that really impacted my life greatly,” he said.

When Nesmith was hired several years ago as vice principal at Twin Falls High — his alma mater — it came with some anxiety.

“I was really nervous going to Twin Falls High School because I knew I’d have to evaluate some of my old teachers,” he said.

As vice principal, Nesmith has the opportunity to interact with thousands of students, parents and community members. He said he realizes students may not always remember everything they learn in class, but they’ll remember how adults at school made them feel.

For Hall, she has a former eighth-grade student — who’s “beyond 30 now,” she said — who sends her a message on the first day of school every year.

“That kind of thing alters my thinking each year, every time I get that kind of message,” Hall said.

Nesmith and Gibson may not remember everything they learned in Hall’s class years ago. But she was a memorable teacher and now, they’re leaving their mark on the next generation of Twin Falls students.