Natalie Green

English teacher Ms. Johannesen poses for a photo. Art by Haileigh Steffen.

Haley Johannensen

What is your position at City High? 

 

English Teacher, I teach English 10 and Kirkwood Composition 1 and 2. 

 

Who is your favorite woman in history? 

 

There are so many. But I would say one that has had a huge impact on me is Mary Oliver, a poet.

 

What is a quote of theirs that you like?

 

I love the quote from her The Summer’s Day, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life.” 

 

How are you a role model? 

 

I am a role model because I am encouraging to all and try to keep a positive outlook even when things get hard. 

 

What impact do you want to leave on City High? 

 

I want to instill in each of my students the joy of reading and how important literature can be to have a full life.

  • Teacher Appreciation: Mr. Hightshoe

Why Students Love Mrs. Mahaffa

Emilia Thedens

Mrs. Mahaffa sits in the office where she performs her duties as music secretary.

“She is probably one of the sweetest, most reliable, amazing people that I’ve ever met. She is always there when you have a question and 99.9 percent of the time she has the answer. Without her, our music program would be a mess. We love her so much, and would be completely lost without her.” –Sophia Surom ‘20

“It was so awesome that she came on the Italy trip, Our assigned chaperone never did bed checks, so Mrs. Mahaffa started checking on us every night, always making sure we had everything we needed.” –Bella Epstein ‘19

“She is the kindest, cutest human being ever. She’s always there to help us and greets everyone and is always smiling. She’s just amazing.” –Heba Abdalla ‘19

“Mrs. Mahaffa is one of the most, if not the most, supportive teacher I’ve met.” –Phong Nguyen ‘19

“I appreciate all the times she has unlocked the practice rooms for me at the end of the day.” –Katherine Introna ‘20

“She’s always super kind and caring to everyone as she quietly runs everything behind the scenes and she always has some peppermints for us. She’s such a queen.” –Asha Keller ‘19

“Maray Mahaffa may be the sweetest woman to have ever walked the halls of City High. Even through the madness of listening to fanatical choir kids and handling what seems to be every fruit sale, I’ve always seen her with the warmest smile on her face.” –Thomazin Jury ‘21

“Mrs. Mahaffa is honestly one of the most positive and kindest people I know. She is always willing to work with students and, as far as we can tell, she is fantastic at her job. Though I don’t know exactly what her long list of tasks is, all music events at the school run incredibly smoothly, and I have no doubt that it is largely because of her contributions. I have absolutely zero complaints about her, and I’m very grateful that she is a part of the music department.” –Joseph Bennett ‘20

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