Teacher Appreciation Columns

In 5th and 6th grade I was convinced I was going to be a writer. During school I spent hours of class tucked away in the corner behind a desktop computer, crafting short stories. Independent reading was always my favorite time of day, and young me was constantly eager for a new book. Yet as I grew older this passion for English faded. Into high school, language arts classes captivated me less, and...

Logging into Mr. Boylan’s Zoom, his students are greeted with cheerful good morning conversations, over the hum of soft instrumental music. Mr. Boylan’s English class has looked different this year. While his home school is West High, Mr. Boylan has been working hard to teach entirely online classes of students from all over the district.  Besides the fact that my English class was an all online setting...

Coming into Sophomore year I had no inclination to learn science. All previous science classes I had found interesting, but I had never fallen in love with the subject. I was thoroughly convinced that I was, and always would be, someone who identified with history and english classes as their favorite subjects to learn. However, this year, Dr. Humston has helped me challenge this belief, and develop...

Dear Ms Darby, You were my favorite teacher until you stopped teaching iJag. I think you're very funny and a special person. I hope you and your family are doing well since Covid and thanks for letting me be your favorite student. I'm probably not your favorite student, but I will just like to think I was since I had the best grades and made people smile and laugh because of my laugh. I think...

Starting with her first year teaching at City High, Ms. Staak has already made quite an impression on many of the students at school. You only need a few days to feel as though you’ve known Ms. Staak for a few years. She is open with everyone and shows she truly cares about her students’ learning and enjoyment during every class. Among the many things that make Ms. Staak a memorable teacher is...

My first interaction with Mr. Hagy was freshman year, he taught treble choir and I instantly knew that he was a character. Mr. Hagy is one of the choir directors at City High School, he’s been a teacher at City for three years so far. From walking into his office, anyone can see the diplomas from the three (?) colleges he attended. That much of an education is apparent in his teaching, as I could tel...

Out of people I say hello to in the halls, my favorite track coach makes up about 80% of my conversations. I planned to run mid-distance for track this year.  I didn't know that mid-distance runners would train with distance, and I wasn't prepared at all. I've never done cross country and distance running was totally new to me. But everyone was so welcoming even when I couldn't even run for ei...

I was only a few months into my freshman year of high school when I had a teacher throw something at me for talking. The assailant? An Earth and Space teacher who had recently transferred from Northwest Junior High, Stacie Smith. She would go on to be one of the most memorable teachers that many students, including myself, would go on recall upon far into adulthood for two reasons. First, throughout...

Dear Mr. Lala, While you might not be that interested in science, Mr. Lala makes science fun. With his daily check-ins with students and his life advice during class you always learn more than just science in class.  Mr. Lala teaches in a fun, interactive way. Even throughout Covid, he has found ways to entertain you in class.  Mr. Lala really shows that he cares about his students by letting th...

Throughout my freshman year, Ms. Barnard has definitely surpassed the label of my “favorite teacher”. Whether it was in her class, or I was passing by her in the hallways, or maybe just sent a simple email, she always acknowledged me and interacted with me in such a friendly way. It is not often that you find a teacher who is also your best friend. But this year, I was extremely lucky. Ms...

Throughout my four years at City High there are many people who have helped me, but the teacher who I think deserves an appreciation column is my support and math teacher Mr. Hoel. Mr. Hole retired last year, but left a huge impact on my life from being a true teacher who listened to me.  In his class, I loved our friendly man-to-man chats, like the time I was having a bad day during my sopho...

Señora Eivins makes learning Spanish possible for every student. Even if she is asked the same question five times she still takes the time to make sure every student understands. She starts class every day with an activity that makes learning fun and easy. She uses things like dice, chalk, and races to turn learning into a game. She never just lectures us, but instead plays videos, songs, and other...

If you take a foreign language at City High, most likely you take Spanish. However, anyone who has taken French will tell you that French is worth taking just so you can have Monsieur Balcaen. Monsieur Balcaen always starts class by asking how we are all doing and talking about his day. He will often tell the whole class short stories about his pets or what show he watched over the weekend. Monsi...

Dear Mrs. Bruhn, Thank you for being an amazing teacher and always helping me when I need it. Also thank you for being someone that listened. I always enjoy coming to your class even though I sleep in it sometimes. You always have me covered with little snacks when I need it. I actually try most of the time in that class so you can get a raise. You always make class fun and enjoyable and never ...

My favorite teacher since I came to the city was Ms. McTaggart.  There is a saying I learned from my grandfather and that is ¨show kindness with kindness." If I would have to describe Ms. McTaggart as a teacher, I would say she someone who ¨ shows kindness with kindness¨ and a teacher with great expectations of her students. She would find a way to help us a lot when we didn't even ask. During ...

Dear Mrs. Schaefer, You are one of my favorite teachers at City High, I’ve never really thought you were such a hero till I had you. You are really helpful, nice, and caring. You help so much that I’m pretty sure every student would like to have you for their four years at City High. I just want to say thank you for being so helpful to me. You’ve made my third trimester very special and uniq...

Dear Mr. Ottmar,  I appreciate all of my teachers this year but, my favorite teacher this year is you. You are very dedicated as a band director and, you help everyone improve every day. I enjoyed all of your jokes and puns throughout each week, whether it was in Jazz Lab or Symphonic Band. I think that you are an amazing teacher, not because of the vibes that you bring into this school, but because ...

My favorite teacher here at city high is Mrs. Stucky-Swanson. I always look forward to starting off my day with orchestra! She always makes everyone in the class feel included and makes sure everyone has fun. I always laugh when she uses her “no No NO” button! The morning is my favorite part of the day when anyone wants to comes early and we just hang out in her office before rehearsal! ...