By Sicily Houk, The Current Co-Editor in Chief
Every year here at River Hill the Seniors are able to vote for the teacher they believe deserves to be the teacher of the year. Voting has opened up as of recently and it is time to see who the Senior Teacher of the Year will be awarded to in 2022.
This may be a difficult decision with all the great options there are to choose from. Although it is clear there is a wide range of possible candidates. This year’s candidates include, Mr. Childress, Ms. Tokar, Ms. Nichols and Ms. Martin.
When asked in an interview who she voted for out of the candidates, Senior Sophia Li responded, “I voted for Ms. Tokar because even though I do not perform as well as I want to in her class she still is able to help me with work and she is also a good teacher.” Amaya Aranda said, “I voted for Ms. Tokar because she was a great teacher and I met one of my best friends in her class.”
Imirie Billey exclaimed, “I will vote for Ms. Martin because she is a really good teacher and knows how to do her job. She has been the most helpful teacher I have ever had.” Aastha Ranga explained, “Ms. Martin because she is a good teacher and even though I don’t have her she still helped me with my college essay.”
Grace Palvako replied, “Ms. Nichols because she is the only teacher I know out of these candidates.”
These four teachers are the finalists from the previous vote on who should be finalists. The decision was hard for many students on who to nominate because all our teachers here are great. When asked who she nominated, Destiny Cheeks remarked, “I nominated Mrs. Casper because I had her in 10th grade, but this year when I observed her class for an assignment it made me remember the fun times we had in class and how she always made learning about Government interesting and easy to learn. She’s a kind hearted woman and a great teacher.”
Honored by the consideration, Ms. Martin said, “ I am amazed and surprised that I was chosen as a candidate. I see the Teacher of the Year as someone who must be doing a good job and helping their students in the classroom. I see this as an affirmation that I am doing as good as I hoped I would with helping and teaching my students. I am honestly amazed.”
Ms. Tokar gave a heartwarming response when saying, “The class of 2022 has a special place in my heart. I came to River Hill their freshman year, so I feel like I have grown up with them. They are a class with warm hearts, big dreams, and incredible talents, so I’m confident that they are going to make a difference in this world!” It is amazing to see the passion and love the teachers here at River Hill have for their students,
Ms. Nichols remarked, “I am overwhelmed and honored to be a candidate for Senior Teacher of the Year. My main goal as a teacher is to give my students the message that I think the world of them. I try my best to send the message that each student is unique, awesome, and special. By being a candidate for Senior Teacher of the Year, it lets me know that I am getting these messages across to the students I have been lucky enough to encounter here at River Hill.” All of these candidates clearly show a passion for helping their students and teaching them in the best way possible.
The final candidate, Mr. Childress responded, “I’m just honored to be selected as a finalist, given the extremely talented staff members that I am surrounded by.” The love and respect for everyone clearly runs deep here at River Hill. Voting is still happening as of right now but it is clear that this year’s candidates are all amazing and exceptional teachers. Congratulations to this year’s candidates!