The start of spring not only brings nice weather, leaves on the trees, and flowers — it also reminds us that another school year is coming to an end. Because teachers do so much for students, it’s important to recognize all their good work. In that spirit, we asked some students to give a shout-out to their favorite teachers.
George Vlosich
Mrs. Holmes
St. Bernadette School, Westlake
Fourth and fifth grade social studies and religion teacher
“Mrs. Holmes is a very creative, engaging teacher. She always is smiling, kind and has a great sense of humor. She helps each student in different ways and encourages us all to do our best. Mrs. Holmes does some cool activities with our class. At Christmas, we had a book exchange. Everyone brought in a wrapped book and we got to pick one for a present. She also does ‘Bulldog bucks’ (we are the Bulldogs), where we can earn prizes and rewards, like movie and popcorn day, sit in her comfy chair, dress down, and homework passes.”
Ryan Connors
Mrs. Brax and Miss Jobanputra
Normandy Elementary, Bay Village
Team teach kindergarten
“Mrs. Brax and Miss J make me smile. Mrs. Brax helped me learn to read and I love to read. Miss J makes me laugh. She is a really good teacher. I love math, too. They are my favorite teachers.”
Molly Whalen
Mr. Jeff Hicks
Fairview Park Middle School, Fairview Park
Sixth grade language arts
“Mr. Hicks loves books and it shows. He has a way of hooking kids into books. He connects personally with students through his stories and the literature that he chooses to teach. Peers get together and discuss books through his Socratic seminars. We learn a lot without all the busy work. Even if you’re a grumpy middle schooler who doesn’t like reading, you will love Mr. Hicks’ class.”
Ava Scarano
Mrs. Aimee Darnell
Perry Elementary School, Perry
Second grade
“Mrs. Darnell is really nice. She always plays games instead of making learning boring. She also uses kind words. Mrs. Darnell always makes sure we learn all our work and helps us when we need help. She is the best teacher because she believes in me.”
Isabel Strozewski
Mr. Goldberg
Gilles-Sweet Elementary School, Fairview Park
First grade teacher
“Mr. Goldberg is a really nice teacher who makes learning fun for everyone. He teaches math through games. Mr. Goldberg brings out his guitar to teach vocabulary/word families through music. Mr. Goldberg lets us earn rewards like a trip to the prize box or ‘lunch bunch’ where he gives up his lunch time to have lunch with us after we show really good behavior. I think if you met Mr. Goldberg you would like him, too!”
Kellen Wamelink
Mrs. Bragg
Normandy Elementary School, Bay Village
Kindergarten
“She is the nicest, best teacher in Bay. She gives out prizes when we make good choices. She throws a really big carnival at the end of the year. Mrs. Bragg always made me feel happy.”
Connor Majeski
Mr. Guscott
Goldwood Primary School, Rocky River
First grade
“Mr. Guscott is a funny teacher. He would tell jokes during the day and dress up on Halloween. He helped me to really improve my reading skills, and I knew that he cared about me.”
Lana Majeski
Mrs. Begg
Goldwood Primary School, Rocky River
Second grade math
“Mrs. Begg is kind to everyone she meets. There was a jungle theme to our classroom, which helped to make all the learning more fun. In math she helped me with my timed tests. I loved having her for a teacher.”
Andrew Ramos
Mrs. Karen Hoffman
St. Gabriel School, Mentor
First grade
“She’s fun and kind.”
Alexis Beckwith
Mrs. Rzeszotarski
Perry High School, Perry
Media specialist
“Rez makes the library a welcoming, accepting and laid back environment to spend your high school days relaxing, reading, writing, or whatever your hobbies are. She pushes students to their full potential and knows how to be a friend when you’ve spent your whole day surrounded by teachers. Rez brings such a fun spirited humor to Perry High School that’s refreshing to be around and makes you cry laughing. At the end of the day, Rez plays a big role in many of our students’ high school lives, making it bearable and a lot more fun and meaningful than it would have been without her.”
Akron Public Schools Teach of the Year 2016
Jennifer Walls
Jennifer Walls is a high school math teacher at Firestone CLC in West Akron. Awarded our 2016 Teacher of the Year honor, Jenny truly teaches from her heart and is known as a student advocate who strives to find ways to connect learning to students on a personal, individualized basis.
— Submitted by Akron Public Schools