In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, the staff members of the Lakeland Hawkeye shared stories about their favorite teachers.

Malia Batman: My favorite teacher was Mr. Traverse at Woodland Middle school. He gave us all funny nicknames while keeping us on task and making the class a blast. My favorite thing about his class was when we talked about history he would always play the funniest music videos.

Ezra Benson: I have had lots of great teachers throughout my education so far and built relationships with several of them. It’s hard for me to choose just one of these great people. However, looking back there is one teacher that had a huge impact on me and I will remember for the rest of my life. My 6th-grade teacher Shawn Stanford came to school every morning with a smile on his face and a cup of coffee in his hands. He always kept a positive attitude and truly treated everyone like a good friend. He would call me over to his desk to show me SportsCenter highlights from the previous night’s NFL or NBA game. He would go out at recess with us and play pickup basketball. Every Friday, he would wear his pink Lebrons for “Pink shoe Friday.” Mr. Stanford made school enjoyable and fun while also teaching good material and keeping a constructive classroom. If you were ever having a bad day, you could count on him to cheer you up. Mr. Stanford made a huge impact on countless students, including myself.

Melia Blackwell: The teacher that inspired me the most throughout school is Mrs. Dionne, she was my 2nd grade teacher and she had known me through my grandmother who had used to work for that same district. I used to be one of those try hard students who wanted to be better at school related topics than my cousins and Mrs. Dionne worked with me starting 2nd grade all the way up until I left that school in 6th grade. I found out after my last year she had retired. She was one of the nicest teachers in that building and that I had ever had. To this day, she is still inspiring me to be the small kid she once knew me as, but now as a teenager

Liam Bradford: My favorite teacher was my fifth grade teacher, Ms. Ferrera. A lot of teachers have issues with my talking because I space out really easily. Ms. Ferrera was extremely nice and she made me look forward to school. I started fifth grade at a new school after moving and I didn’t really have any friends to start the year. I met a lot of my good friends today in her class and I truly had a lot of joy when I was in her class. Sometimes it is hard to enjoy school, especially in high school when a lot of the culture is pessimistic. Ms. Ferrera’s class really made learning fun and I am very glad she was one of my teachers.

Samantha Fuller: My favorite teacher has been Mrs. Shannon Hall. She is very supportive and understanding of her students. Hall always brings a smile into her classroom and is in the best mood. Hall has made me become a better student and writer overall. I could always count on having an organized class with Mrs. Hall. She makes students laugh and is very fair. Her teaching style has been my favorite compared to all of my other teachers in my education.

Zach McGee: My favorite teacher as a ninth grader is Coach Kiefer. He is always fun to go and talk to and be around, and he loves to pose for the camera, as seen in one of my stories. He makes weights fun, he works us hard and makes sure we do our best. Whenever he is in his office you can go up and ask him questions or just talk and it is nice, and he always has an answer to every question and he is very supportive. He is a really funny guy and a good guy, he makes the school environment a better place, and I hope he stays at Lakeland for a long time.

Zack Roses: I appreciate my 5th grade teacher Mr.Brown and all the things he did for me back in the day. His class was always fun to learn in and I actually remembered a lot from him and he made it a good time. Without him as my teacher, I’m not sure I would have even been able to pass 5th grade because it was a hard school and I wasn’t a very good learner. I’m so glad he was my teacher and he became a family friend, as well.

Avery Scott-Fudge: My favorite teacher I have had is Ms. Shannon Hall. She made class exciting with the way she reads books. She always did different accents when reading and it made class very entertaining. Hall is also an amazing tennis coach, always staying organized and helping the team to be their best. Hall is not only the best teacher, but the best coach as well.

David Tesch: The teacher I appreciated was my 6th grade teacher at Betty Kiefer Elementary, Mr. Williamson. He helped me through some personal struggles and made the learning environment fun. The humor and nerdiness he had made going to school enjoyable. I’ll always remember the big beard man who had star wars everywhere in his room.

Hadley West: My favorite teacher I have had in my schooling years is Mr. Von Till at Garwood Elementary. He was my fourth grade teacher and always kept the class on task but having fun. He would sing to the class about vocabulary and made math interesting with different games. He also did a good job transforming the class from young to elementary students to old elementary students.

Taylor Winkelkotter: Throughout my whole schooling career my favorite teacher has been Brian Etchison. Coach Etch has been one of the most influential teachers I’ve known. He has been like a fatherly figure in my life. When Etch taught health he made it so fun, it was never a boring day in class. He kept us on task but gave us time to get our work done. Coach Etch will always be my favorite teacher. He’s the Goat.

Matthew Wirtz: My favorite teacher is Shannon Hall. Hall is easily the greatest teacher I’ve ever had and the greatest to ever live. She always makes it interesting and fun while keeping it very informative. Hall also tries to make Lakeland High School the best it can be through her different ways of volunteering around the school. Hall deserves all the money the school has.