In honor of staff appreciate week, members of the Lakeland Hawkeye and the Lakeland yearbook staff wanted to take time to thank teachers who have made a difference in their lives.
Jessica Moser: Thank you Mrs. Clinch, you have been an amazing teacher. You have helped me through many things such as homework, and many other things. I always looked forward to going to your class. You have been my Ms. Honey and I will never forget you. Thank you for everything you do.
Dani Russell: I want to thank Mr. Deeter who was my 8th and 9th grade math teacher. I used to hate math and the middle school I went to but Mr. Deeter made me look forward to class. After I switched schools it was my first time at public school and he happened to switch to the same school as me. He is no longer my teacher but he is still so kind and helpful to me and I am forever grateful to him.
Emma Meredith: I want to thank Mrs. Novak for being an amazing teacher. You have made math an enjoyable class and made my love for math grow this year. Your class is easy to understand and doesn’t make it more complicated than it has to be. So thank you so much for being a great teacher and making your class both fun and educational.
Treven Nelson: Thank you so much to my 7th grade history teacher Mr. Berry, You have taught me so much and have given me some life lessons. Your class was one of the only classes I looked forward to that year. Mr. Berry you are a goat and I hope your life treats you better than it did.
Grace Early: A teacher that I believe deserves a big thank you is Mrs. Mattila. She is a fantastic teacher and makes math as understandable as it can be. I have Algebra 2 with her during 6th period and she makes the end of my day a little more bearable. She also is there for students who need extra time to study each concept and she will give her free time and lunches for her students to get the best grade they possibly can, she also knows how to crack a few jokes during her teachings. Thank you Mrs. Mattila!
Ben Bixby: I would love to thank Mrs. Novak for being such a great teacher and overall fun person. She was able to take a subject that I utterly hated and despised to my core and turned it into a fun and engaging experience. She’s super nice and tolerant to some things, but she knows exactly where and when to draw the line. She’s great at being both an educator and a friend, she may be strict at times but is really friendly and understanding later on. She puts up with my exaggerated personality and is able to get me to learn.
Maya Keck: I would like to say thank you to Mrs. Bevacqua. She is an amazing teacher and has made history one of my favorite classes of the day. She always greets her students with a smile and genuinely cares about them. Bevac has been such a kind and fun teacher to have and I love talking to her. I look forward to going to her class every day. She is always there if I need help or even would just like to have a conversation with someone. Throughout the year she has become my favorite teacher. Thank you Mrs. Bevacqua.
Savannah Spalding: Thank you so much to Mrs. Schaffer. You have always been there when I needed it most and you have always cared about me and shown and put in so much effort to try and be there and support all of your students. You are hard working, kind, compassionate, and just all around a hard working beautiful person inside and out. Thank you for always talking to me when I have some free time. I hope the days ahead of you go well and great!
Rebekah Lewis: Thank you Mr. Pitassi for making me fall back in love with English. You made me feel accomplished and confident in my writing. I never felt dumb in your class and I always knew I could ask for help. You made reading more exciting and always made sure to go in depth about the complicated things we covered. I looked forward to coming to your class every morning and I knew it would always be a safe space.
Garret Hall: I would like to thank Mrs. Mattila. Thank you for helping me love math again, I always dread math class at the end of the day but you make the class so enjoyable and fun and easy to learn. And thank you for being a great person as well, you have a sense of humor, and you’re always enjoyable to think about. I can never thank you enough for all the things you’ve taught me in this class.
Aspen Wike: I want to give a big thank you to Mr. Williams. Williams has taught me many things throughout my high school years and has also made me part of the person I am today. I have learned so much from him these past 3 years and he has even helped when I was having tough times outside of school. He taught me to always cherish the moment and never take anything for granted.
Austin Howell: I would like to thank Mr. Anderson. His long stories while lecturing in Economics and history made the class fun, he also gave helpful advice when asked. As a teacher he was the most helpful especially when i as his student was struggling, he also structures his class to where you have to try to fail which makes it easy to pass and easy to understand the material.
Audrey Halgren: I want to give the biggest shoutout to my math queen, Mrs. Mattila. I never was one for math, and was always the kid who asked “but when am I gonna use this in real life?”. Although that question is impossible to answer, because you probably won’t use it, Mattila made math feel just a little more enjoyable with her quick sense of humor. So thank you Mattila for all the lessons you’ve taught, even though you kicked me to the back of the classroom.
Chase Peterson: I wanted to say thank you to Mr. Dunn. He has done a lot for me and helped me through high school. I first joined his journalism class my sophomore year and helped me learn the way of the camera and then I ended up having him for English sophomore year too. He has helped me through some emotional things. I really appreciate Mr. Dunn is my favorite teacher of all time. Thank you Mr. Dunn.
Aly Caywood: I have had so many amazing teachers during my time in school. I would especially like to thank my Physics teacher, Mr. Ballard and my English teacher, Mrs. S. Hall. They have both been great teachers and work hard to make sure their students succeed. It has been clear to me that they really care for their students and want them to do well not only in high school but outside of that and after graduation as well. Mr. Ballard’s passion for understanding the Earth has inspired me to learn and explore as much as I can and Mrs. Hall’s positive attitude inspires me to try everything and work hard. Thank you so much Mr. Ballard and Mrs. Hall for being such great teachers and role models!
Brittany Williams: I would like to thank Mr. Ryan for being an amazing math teacher. He always teaches very well and I understand what he is saying. He makes geometry fun enough to not dread his class everyday. Along with being a wonderful teacher, he is also a great person as is. Thank you for being an encouraging and student engaged teacher.
Lily Still: I want to thank Mrs. Novak. She has been the most amazing math teacher this year. Her class is so fun and I have learned so much from her this year. She makes math something to look forward to and she is my favorite teacher I have ever had. She is such an inspirational person and I appreciate everything she does for us. Thank you Mrs. Novak, you are such an amazing person.
Soli Landin: I wanted to thank my English teacher Mrs. Letzig. She has helped me in every way I can imagine. She is incredibly encouraging, and has only pushed me to be the best and brightest that I can be. I can never thank you enough for everything that I have learned while being in your class.
Dre Smith: Thank you coach Schroder for pushing me to be the best I possibly can be on and off the field. I owe my success in the weight room to you. Playing for you has taught me that nothing in life is given and everything must be earned with hard work.
Zoie Davies: I wanted to say thank you to Mrs. S. Hall for always being so kind and having the best jokes. She is by far my favorite English teacher and was always so understanding with assignments. Even with only having her for a semester she improved my writing so much. Not only is she so sweet but she also always knew what to say and could read when we were having a bad day. I cannot wait to be in her class again next year because even though I may not be there now I know I am always welcome thanks to her.
Teagan Patrick – Thank you Mrs. Suko. I love you so much. I love how I can always come talk to you. You have been super helpful in my years of high school.
Adysen Stutheit: I want to thank Ms. Busby for being one of the best teachers I’ve had and for taking time out of her day to help me with math problems I couldn’t understand. Not being the best at math made it very challenging, so knowing I could come to her for help and be able to understand afterwards made me want to work harder. I am grateful for the efforts she put into trying to teach me as well as make me feel comfortable to ask her questions. I want to thank you, Ms. Busby, for being so understanding and helpful throughout the school year.
Tessa Dorr- I want to thank Mr. Von Till for making my memories of fourth grade unforgettable. I had so much fun in his class and was always encouraged to be creative. I still remember how he turned our class into a family. I learned so much that year, and I will always think back to that year with a smile on my face; knowing how much of an impact he made on my grade school years.
Hailey Howell: I want to thank my 7th grade science and art teacher Mrs. Burton. She was super nice and really helped me succeed in her class. She helped me become a nicer person and appreciate what I have and even what I don’t have. Mrs Burton used to call me braids because I used to wear french braids and when I finally wore my hair down she got sad and never called me braids again. But either way she was an incredible soul and she was really great to relate to and just talk to when we had problems. I could talk to her about personal stuff and she really brought me comfort and I loved Mrs. Burton as a teacher and a friend.
Olivia Nelson: Thank you to Mr. Haynes for teaching me and helping me prepare for the AP History exam. Especially because I would constantly re-submit my DBQs and LEQs, so I could learn how I should format and word them for the exam, and showing me all the different resources out there that could help me in studying. Without your constant help I wouldn’t have gotten a 4 on my exam and I’m so grateful for that. AP history has even made U.S history easier for me this year. I also want to give a special thanks to Mrs. Suko for helping me in finding my path towards the future and what goals I need to accomplish that future.
Bailey Elliott: I’d like to say thank you to all of my teachers I’ve had over the past 12 years. Each one has stood out to me equally with their own unique and amazing ways. The teacher that impacted me the most was my fifth grade teacher Mr. Busch, he was so cool and smart. Mr. Busch taught me a lot about being a good person and making life an adventure. Mr. Busch was also the teacher to first push me towards reading and writing where I found my strength in school. He will always deserve a big thank you from me.
Casey Williams: I want to thank my eighth grade English teacher Mrs. Myers. She changed my view on the world and made such a huge impact on my life. Mrs. Myers is a teacher that genuinely cares about her students and I am forever grateful to her for everything she has done for me.
Matthew Meyer: I want to thank my 4th grade teacher Mr. Baker who was super chill and funny and who liked me so he would put up with my crap. He was a very smart and understanding teacher who genuinely cared for his students and put in the extra effort to teach us. Thank you again Mr Baker!
Zach McGee: I would like to thank Coach/Teacher Kiefer. Since my first day at Lakeland he has addressed me with humor and kindness. He made me feel welcome when Lakeland was a new school for me. Now, 3 years later I talk to him everyday because I am his TA. We share a lot of jokes and stories with each other, and I have a great connection with him. I can talk to Coach Kiefer about anything and feel comfortable doing so. Thanks again for everything Coach!