Arrowhead High School students in Ms. Liz Jorgensen's English classes submitted essays recognizing their favorite teachers. Several Barnes and Noble stores selected creative writing students as winners in the My Favorite Teacher contest. Here is a link to the contest: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/my-favorite-teacher/379002376/
The following are Arrowhead High School students who were chosen as winners of the contest along with the teacher who the students' nominated:
Brenda Suhan nominated Mr. Andy Freeburg
Kaite Holowitz nominated Mrs. Heidi Hamilton
Heather Roehr nominated Ms. Rayen Singletary
The following are the winning essays submitted by Heather, Brenda, and Kaite:
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Brenda Suhan
AHS Senior |
Brenda Suhan
Educator of the Year
Barnes and Noble Winner
It isn’t often that you come across a cardigan-wearing high school
English teacher with interests ranging from skateboarding to poetry and from
heavy metal to the latest fashion trends. But Mr. Freeburg, my AP
English teacher, is quite the interesting character. When students can’t
wait to get to class at 7:30 AM, you know that teacher has something special.
I have
always had a love for English, but never could I imagine being taught by
someone as engaging as Mr. Freeburg. Every student participates in class
discussions, and we are encouraged to share our ideas – whether they are right,
wrong, or somewhere in between.
Before Christmas break, we all brought in embarrassing photos of ourselves,
exchanged them, and wrote a poem based on the photos. In turn, Mr.
Freeburg unabashedly showed us an embarrassing photo from his teenage and
college years each day the week before. One day the picture was one of
his blonde flowing mullet; the next was another picture of his pink short
shorts. Educational yet fun activities like these are what make the class
feel like family.
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Mr. Andy Freeburg
Arrowhead High School
English Teacher |
Mr.
Freeburg constantly connects outside examples to what we are learning in class.
When we receive entertaining emails connecting literary terms to movies
and articles, I know that learning doesn’t need to be boring (and it never is
in Mr. Freeburg’s class). He shares stories from his graduate school
classes, and his professor – a professional poet – even visited for a day at
the end of the semester. Mr. Freeburg had enough confidence in us that we
would amaze his professor to invite him. We read the professor’s poems,
applied what we were learning in class, and discussed them with the author –
and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
One of
the best traits of Mr. Freeburg is the attention he pays to individual
students. He made a point to learn everyone’s names at the beginning of
the semester, and he goes around the classroom and does a “weekend roundup” of
our plans every Friday. He is truly interested in his students.
Most importantly, he encourages every one of us.
If a student says something earth-shatteringly brilliant during a
discussion, he karate chops the artificial cherry blossom tree in the corner of
the classroom, jumps around with excitement, and gives the student a key from
his box – the symbol of the ultimate scholar. And when he noticed I was
working on a poem for a literary contest I learned about in his class, he screeched
“POEM!” asked to read it, and then said, “You are a true ancient poet.” I
laughed, but I knew he was sincere when he told me that I had talent and that I
should keep writing. And I haven’t stopped since. On one of my
papers he wrote on the top: “Reading this essay was like being dipped in
gold!!” Funny yet encouraging feedback like this helps me feel confident
that I can exceed expectations – and that is what learning is all about.
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Katie Holowitz
AHS Senior |
By Katie Holowitz
Nominating Heidi Hamilton
Barnes and Noble Winner
I never enjoyed school, and school didn’t enjoy me. I have always
struggled with concentrating and organizing. In second grade, I was diagnosed
with ADHD and ever since, I have been enrolled in classes for kids with
learning disabilities. I have had countless teachers who’ve always been on my
side. But these teachers acted as if I couldn’t function on a daily basis, making
me feel like I couldn’t handle the real world.
As I entered high
school, I thought I was going to be stuck with a gentile spoken lady, who
treated me differently than everyone else. But as I walked into Arrowhead High
School’s Learning Center, all I could hear was a loud voice, reverberating in
my eardrums.
“Hey, Katie! I’m Mrs. Hamilton! I’m your new case manager!” she
screamed.
I was in shock from her reaction. I was not used to a teacher being
louder than the whispers in the hallway. But the best way to describe
Mrs. Hamilton is exhilarating, compassionate, and feisty.
As I walk in the
hallway, I easily spot Mrs. Hamilton. I mean, it’s pretty difficult to not
notice a 6’4” lady, who looks like she belongs in the WNBA, marching down the
hallway. As I walk in the crowded hallways, Mrs. Hamilton still manages to yell
out, “Katie! Hi!” each time. I used to try and hide from her (because I was a
little embarrassed), but over time, I thought it was special that she always
noticed me; and I came to recognize she’ll always spot me and greet me.
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Mrs. Heidi Hamilton
Arrowhead High School
Special Ed. Teacher |
Mrs. Hamilton is a mother, coach, and a special education teacher.
When I was little, I attended her basketball clubs, and I looked up to
her. She was always energized, like she just won the lottery.
Mrs. Hamilton is a role model and she has inspired me to work with kids
who also have learning disabilities. At my high school, Mrs. Hamilton runs the student
panel for children with disabilities, which is a program to help get children
with disabilities involved with other students. Mrs. Hamilton gave me the
opportunity to join the panel and talk to students about my transition to high
school, while struggling with ADHD. Mrs. Hamilton has had a huge impact on my
journey and if it weren’t for her, I would have never made it where I am
now—and that’s why she is my teacher of the year, and always will be.
Mrs. Hamilton has helped me every step of the way, including helping me
apply to colleges and scholarships this year. When I look back on the past four
years, I am thankful for Mrs. Hamilton. Teaching is so much more than a job for
her—it’s her life, it’s her passion and it’s her purpose. Thank you, Mrs.
Hamilton for everything you have done for me.
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Heather Roehr
AHS Junior |
By Heather Roehr
Selected as Barnes and Noble as My Favorite Teacher contest winner
Nominating Rayen Singletary
Honestly, English is probably my weakest subject. As I
always put it, “I ain’t no good at that grammar thing.” I was below the
curve when it came to my skills in English; however, my sophomore year, that
all change. I began to understand grammar rules. And these changes
took place because of one wonderful teacher: Rayen Singletary.
Ms. Singletary was the breath of fresh air that
drab old English needed. “Life is more interesting with a little sauce,”
is the mantra of my personal educator of a lifetime. From day one of
sophomore English, I could tell I was going to be particularly fond of Ms. S;
she introduced herself as a nerd and used the phrase, “lame-sauce.”
Quickly, I learned she loved theatre, and we bonded over this
similarity. The bond I had with her allowed for a personal learning
experience, and it also motivated me to try harder in the dreaded English. The
last thing I wanted was to let down Ms. Singletary.
Throughout the course
of the year, Ms. Singletary ensured she was available to aid with my essay
writing and grammar, and with a little hard work and dedication, I was finally
able to write grammatically correct essays. In fact, she still is willing
to make time to help me with my essays today, even though I no longer have her
as a teacher.
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Ms. Rayen Singletary
Arrowhead High School
English Teacher |
Ms. Singletary’s dedication didn’t only help me excel in the areas of
English I struggled in— it also pushed me to give my all even to the parts of
English that came easily to me. A personal strength of mine is public
speaking, so I was ecstatic when I learned speeches made up a large
portion of my grade; I thought, hey easy A.
But oh boy was I wrong because Ms. S graded on the philosophy of
personal ability and she knew an avid theatre kid like me was capable of much
more than my meekly prepared for speeches. So although I had some
of the best speeches in the class, I would always end up with a B.
“I know you could do better,” she always would reply. I
thought I deserved an A, but in truth, I knew I didn’t.
By the end of the
year, her persistence persuaded me to actually give the necessary effort in my
speeches, and I did. Although the whole concept annoyed me at the
time, Ms. Singletary taught me a valuable lesson about work ethic, and it’s one
I won’t soon forget.
It is for her wonderful sense of humor, remarkable dedication, quirky
sayings, and passion, that I nominate Ms. Singletary for this award. Ms.
Singletary impacted my life that year in way she will never truly understand;
she helped me improve not only my weaknesses, but also my strengths.
Today I can write a decent essay, the first time, and I have Ms.
Singletary to thank for that.
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