Editor’s note: This week, May 2-6, is teacher appreciation week. Over the course of three days, staff members want to recognize their most memorable high school teachers.

Teresa Chiles
by Vivica Juarez

Precalculus was probably one of the most difficult classes I have ever taken in my entire life. If you think I’m joking, you should enroll in the class. The fast pace lessons, endless amount of homework and non-multiple choice tests greatly increased my stress level. You might be thinking, why take the class then? My reasoning for enduring this was Mrs. Chiles.

I’m not the best test taker and precalculus was no exception. If anyone were to fail a test, they were given endless amounts of opportunities to retest for a grade up to a 70. I, being such a bad tester, took those opportunities. Many teachers offer the same rule, but don’t have as many chances to redo the test like Mrs. Chiles. Almost every morning you could find her in her room at 7 where she would be until almost 5 after school some days. The dedication Mrs. Chiles upheld amazed me. I have never had such a committed teacher in my years in school. She was willing to stay after for test corrections to aid students in reworking problems or to teach a lesson someone might have missed the previous day. She’s also one of the few teachers I know who have never missed a day of class, no matter what.

Although my grade wasn’t exactly what I hoped for, Mrs. Chiles taught me to not doubt myself. If a student were to consistently not understand a lesson or become frustrated, she was willing to put in the hours with them and give them encouragement. I was often upset with myself, ready to give up. Until one day Mrs. Chiles did something most teachers don’t usually do. She called my mother, and not to tell about my dreadful grade but to tell her how proud she was of me. She told my mother despite my constant shame of my grade, she couldn’t help but appreciate the effort I put forth. I somehow felt content with my endeavor to do my best because of her. Mrs. Chiles helped me to see how great of a student I really was. She also taught me to not let your grade define who you are as a student. I will forever be grateful for the lessons she taught me.

Steven Roper
by Vince Miyazono

Mr. Roper is the most chill teacher I’ve ever had. We get work done in his class even though he is a pretty laid back teacher. As long as we get our work done and pay attention in his class, everything goes smoothly.

Mr. Roper is my favorite teacher ever because I’m Asian and he is the first teacher who I’ve had that is Asian like me. He is a really good teacher and makes learning fun for me and many of my classmates. He’s always telling us stories about the different places around the world because he has been to a lot of them. During the unit over Southwest Asia and North Africa he knew a lot about the places that we talked about because of his time in the army during the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I appreciate Mr. Roper because he teaches us the things that we need to know in life and what people just expect us to know. He is there almost every day and is ready to teach us at the end of the day when everyone is tired and pretty much done learning for the day. Killough wouldn’t be the same without Mr. Roper because he is the one of the few teachers at Killough who makes us better students. Even though Mr. Roper is the best teacher, we should recognize all the teachers at all three campuses for their hard work and dedication to teaching the students and building young leaders.

Bill Yocum
by Cord Moody

Mr. Yocum’s U.S. government class has been one of my favorite classes this far in the school year. He has a way with his teaching methods that forces you to learn the material in the course. His method of conveying information to his students is both interesting and engaging as he brings out real world events from the past as examples to help his students process the lesson easier. Mr. Yocum’s philosophy toward teaching makes his students love him all the more.

Mr. Yocum has such a staunch belief in the idea of popular sovereignty, and does his absolute best to teach you that people, not the politicians, rule our country. He has made me rethink my views on government, caused me to challenge the common stereotypical media views on our nation, and has even made me reconsider which presidential candidate’s name I should check when I vote this coming election. Prior to being enrolled in his class, I would have wholeheartedly disagreed with his opinions on the U.S. government and presidential candidates. Now, I find myself siding with a candidate I would never have thought viable without his argument and thinking about how well our government is structured.

All in all, I am grateful to have been put in his class. He is entertaining to be around with his wit and extensive wisdom, two things I generally enjoy. I may have only been in his class for a few weeks now, but I can tell that I will enjoy my time in my second period. Mr. Yocum’s U.S. government class makes my morning a little more bearable.

Jacqueline Felan
by Cristian Gomez

Mrs. Felan is one of my most memorable teachers not because she teaches my favorite subject, but because of the way she taught her students and the way she talked to us. She talked to us like we were grownups and I liked how she taught us “life hacks/secrets in life” that included special note cards, flipbooks and how to study notes. Sometimes she gave us packets for work, but it was for us to learn and take with us to college. Yes was strict sometimes, but she made learning fun.

Mrs. Felan has two kids who she loves so much. You know she loves astronomy when she actually taught her oldest child about it, and even though her oldest child is 5 years old, her child knows way more about space than any other student in the class.

I had Mrs. Felan junior year for physics, and my first impression was not a good one. I thought I would dread going to the class every day. The first week actually went pretty well because of how she taught us and how her classroom ran. She did give us a lot of work, but when she did she made it fun.

Kristin Stauffer
by Stefanie Shipley

Looking back on my freshman year, I resented history and the fact that it is a required course to graduate from high school. That was until I walked into Ms. Stauffer’s world history class my sophomore year. Asking how each of her students’ days had gone was an every day routine for her. She had a way of making every student feel cared for. Ms. Stauffer taught in a way that kept me from staring at the clock, simply waiting for the class to end. It was the first year a class had gone in depth about religion, a topic that is usually avoided in class discussions or lectures, and it made me very interested in the class because I could tell how interested in the topic Ms. Stauffer was as well.

During her class, I felt comfortable; I didn’t have to stress out or get anxious when it came to what we were learning, or if I would be able to catch everything in my notes or just remember it for the next class day. I felt that Ms. Stauffer had faith in me and my abilities. Even if I was on the verge of failure, she was still very helpful and understanding to me. Ms. Stauffer is sweet and understanding, has a great sense of humor, and above all, made me have actual interest in history. Ms. Stauffer has changed my whole perspective on history and religion and everything in between, and I thank her for that.

Jill Van Klink
by Megan Garces

Waking up at 6:30 in the morning and getting to school before 8:15 doesn’t get me excited, but walking into my first period does. Mrs. Van Klink, who used to be Ms. Applewhite before she got married, is a very fun-loving teacher who cares about her students and makes work fun.

When I first met her, I was in her U.S. history class, and I was super nervous. I didn’t know what to expect to happen in the class, whether the teacher would give us nothing but notes and quizzes, or she would be super chill and make the class fun. She was a good balance of both. While she didn’t give us a lot of notes, when she did, they were short and to the point. Homework was also a rarity; we only had homework if we didn’t finish work in class, which was perfectly understandable.

Now I’ve had her for two classes this year, U.S. government and psychology, and I honestly loved both classes. She made each of the classes easy to understand and exciting to be in. I’m not as shy as I was when I first met her, but being in a class with new people is a bit frightening. Though, with her way of teaching, we tend to make friends with the people we sit with. Mrs. Van Klink has to be my favorite teacher in all of my four years in high school, and is overall a remarkable person.

Stephanie Driscole
by Rachel Cho

On the first day of class, I was nervous and unaware of the environment with all the strange, new faces. The day of starting new classes was already miserable enough because we were doing those get to know each other ice breaker games. But this specific class soon became more and more bearable with the days passing by.

Being a physics teacher, Ms. Driscole never fails to make her students happy with the way she educates her classes. Even though she can be laid back at times, she knows when to draw the line where it counts. With fun labs and group work, classes are entertaining when she is there to teach. She takes the time to explain, in detail, what the students do not understand, even if it would take the majority of the class period. Her kind, warm heart is shown through her bright smiles each and every day of class. Ms. Driscole sets a high standard for each student, is interactive with everyone, and spreads her love of teaching.

Ms. Driscole’s genuine personality made my experience with physics positive and absolutely enjoyable. Her passion for science comes through, adding to the fact that she is a special teacher. I was so fortunate to have her as a teacher. Thank you for being patient with all of your students. Thank you for being there to help me during lunch. Thank you for spending eight hours minimum a day to educate us. Thank you for keeping me and my peers on track. Thank you for showing me my full potential and making physics a pleasure to take.

Laporscha Albert
by Jayden Warren

I remember being semi-disappointed with myself for making JV2 volleyball and thinking that it was going to be the worst thing ever.

Little did I know, I would grow and change drastically. Not only as a volleyball player but as a person.

You made volleyball my second home. It went from the sport I played and the people on my team to the one place I wanted to be at all times, with my nine new sisters and you.

We had a coach who pushed us to new levels, listened to us, made us laugh even when we were running, and held us to standards you knew we could achieve.

For Pete’s sake, you made having a concussion fun. You joked around with us like friends, not someone who viewed us as lesser.

I have never had that before. You were the blacksmith forging us, the solid independent pieces of metal, into one beautiful sculpture. We were pretty by ourselves, but when put together we created a masterpiece that flowed in all the right ways.

The season I spent with you has been my favorite season and favorite memory in high school.

No doubt there was drama and frustrating games, but you taught us to overcome together as a whole and not as one.

I have learned I can’t do it all by myself, and sometimes I have to step back and let others take over. But at the same time, if I know I can do it, I need to take charge and do so.

So thank you Coach Albert for believing in me and pushing me past my limits. I will never forget the season we shared.

Shari Mayes
by Esther Ko

Ms. Mayes is a teacher I respect and will always remember as a great teacher. She is my AP statistics teacher and she presents herself as a role model. As a student who is not the greatest at math, I strived to try my best my last year of high school. However, Ms. Mayes treated everyone equally and did not seek biased views based on grades. Rather, she looks at a student’s determination and will to learn. Most high school teachers label us as adults, but in reality we are still kids maturing. Ms. Mayes understands our perspective and sends out constant reminds for future assignments and test dates. I appreciate her ethics and drive to make her students successful. I feel her urge to teach us something new every lesson despite the difficult material.

I see Ms. Mayes as a very friendly teacher who has passion within her for teaching. She always begins her class with a smile, giving off a radiant vibe in the classroom. Furthermore, after every test, she hands out a FRAPPY, a worksheet reviewing what we have learned in the past. It helps me reevaluate what I have learned so I don’t forget the material.

I appreciate Ms. Mayes and her positive outlook in everything she faces. If students do not do too well on a test, rather than lecturing us, she reminds us that the amount of work we put in is what we receive. She is a woman who does not give up and wants her students to be successful. Having taught AP statistics for numerous years, she should be awarded as a noble teacher.