Teacher Appreciation Night Honors Local Teachers

Jill Long, left, of Broomfield High School was nominated by Kaitlin Savage as her most influential teacher at the Teacher Appreciation Night on March 10th at the Westminster Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Photo courtesy of briancphoto.com)

Kody Bradfield honored James Hill, her fourth grade teacher at Mountain View Elementary. Mr. Hill is now the Vice-Principal at Fairview High School. (Photo courtesy of briancphoto.com)

Jacqui Geiselmann of Legacy High School was nominated by Tyler Archibald as his most influential teacher. (Photo courtesy of briancphoto.com)

Nineteen soon-to-be graduating seniors from local high schools, honored their most influential teacher at the annual Teacher Appreciation Night on March 10th. The event was hosted by the Westminster Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The group of teachers, students, administrators, and families were welcomed by Stake President Larry Hickman who expressed special appreciation to the dedicated educators who were being honored and the exceptional role they play in teaching and nurturing their students.

Principal Ginger Ramsey, of Broomfield High School, was the keynote speaker at the event.  She asked the audience to think of their favorite teacher. Then she noted several traits that were characteristic of great teachers such as fairness, caring, high expectations of their students, encouraging, a desire to know each student and a willingness to help them, and those with "a gift" to effectively interact with students. She added her appreciation of the teachers being recognized and thanked them for their dedication.

Those points proved to be common themes as each student came to the podium and expressed their personal reasons for nominating their teacher; describing distinctive qualities of their special educator who had made a difference in their life.

The teachers who were honored and their nominating student were as follows:

From Broomfield High School, Justin Hazzard was nominated by Kelli Lane. Kelli said that during her junior year, she didn't think Mr. Hazzard liked her but after they found a common interest, she changed her mind. She noted that he helped her through some particularly frustrating times and she was grateful for his help.

Jill Long, a math teacher from Broomfield High School, was recognized by Kaitlin Savage as being ..."the best teacher she has had." Kaitlin used the example of how Ms. Long greeted the students each morning with, "Good morning smart people"  as one indication of her teacher helping them with their self-esteem. Kaitlin also appreciated Ms. Long's efforts in helping her catch up with several of her classes, following an illness.

Stephanie Packer said that David Felton's influence on her lasted long past his teaching in her kindergarten class. She noted that she spoke with Mr. Fleton, now the principal at Henderson Elementary School, near the end of her sophomore year in high school. When he found out that her grades were lower than they should be, he "threatened her" in a friendly way to improve her grades. She did not want to let him down so she worked hard to better her grades before the end of that year. She has now been accepted into college.

From Legacy High School, Tyler Archibald praised Jacqui Geiselmann for her work as the Student Government Advisor. Although Ms. Geiselmann is only in her second year at Legacy, she has proven to be an effective advocate for the students. Tyler, who is the current student body president, stated that he "... could not do his job without her."

Mike Huff from Legacy High School was nominated by Noah Bruns. Mr. Huff taught Noah's Math III class and was recognized due to his understanding and caring attitude. Noah appreciated the fact the Mr. Huff spent one-on-one time with the students and was willing to go out of his way to help them.

Chloe Scott selected Kim Segasser, her AP statistics teacher from her sophomore year at Legacy High School. Although neither was able to attend, Chloe wrote a letter to Ms. Segasser expressing her appreciation for making the statistics class enjoyable and interesting. Chloe was also thankful for how she was taught to obey the rules of the class, that were accompanied by compassion when required. Most of all, she was grateful for the encouragement she received from Ms. Segasser and the concern that she displayed in taking a personal interest in Chloe's life.

Lisa Wilson, who teaches Spanish at Legacy, was nominated by Jessica Ashby. Jessica pointed out that Ms. Wilson was the sweetest teacher she ever had and was always cheerful. She went out of her way to help the students. She gave an example of how she helped one of her students asked a girl to prom and helped him plan the date. By always being happy and positive, she created a great learning environment for her students.

One of Mountain Range High School's math teachers, Tyler Elbin, received a tribute from Curtis Dunford which was read by Curtis' father. Curtis noted that after Mr. Elbin shared his favorite bands and music, he "... knew we were going to get along." He acknowledged Mr. Elbin for his teaching skills in being able to teach quickly and effectively while also being patient in helping those who did not grasp the concept right away. Curtis also enjoyed Mr. Elbin's sense of humor and cha-cha skills.

Sydney Camilletti chose Katie Anderson, her second and third grade teacher at Mountain View Elementary, as her most influential teacher.  She noted that "... after twelve  years of schooling, ... Mrs. Anderson was my favorite!" Sydney still remembered activities she enjoyed in the class that made her feel special. In third grade, Sydney had trouble concentrating in class and Mrs. Anderson built a cardboard perimeter around her desk to force her to "... learn how to concentrate  ...." Although Sydney did not like it at the time, she has become a very good student due to the help she received from Mrs. Anderson and now considers her a friend and role model.

James Hill (now Vice-Principal at Fairview High School) was nominated by Kody Bradfield who had him as a teacher in the fourth grade at Mountain View Elementary. Even today, she remembers her excitement upon learning that she was in his class and still remembers his "Four Mottos." She noted his ability to"...  make everyone feel included and happy about coming to school." She also remembered  the fun and creative reading programs he implemented in his class. She closed by saying that "... she was sure she was his favorite student of all his years" but then he probably made every student feel that way.

Daniel Luna selected Rene Dill  who is his drama teacher at Northglenn High School. Daniel described Ms. Dill as a strong person who directs powerful and life-changing dramas. She taught him to go beyond acting and to become the character he is portraying. She has also had a big impact on students with disabilities by involving them in the plays and pushing everyone beyond their comfort zones. She has taken on additional duties at personal sacrifice. Daniel was grateful for her help in a particularly tough time in his life and he hopes to become like her.

Michael Ochoa chose his English Composition teacher at Northglenn High School Katie Gaddis. He said that when he first saw Ms. Gaddis, he "...was a little freaked out ...." because he saw her as a little eccentric. However, he soon changed his opinion as he got to know her and saw that she made things funny and had a genuine concern for the students. She has the ability to connect with the students and attends many of the students' activities. He noted that a good teacher helps us learn more about ourselves and Ms. Gaddis had done that for him.

Alison Roman, who is the choir director at Northglenn High School, was recognized by Megan Israelsen as someone who "... possessed the ability to teach as well as support and influence my life." Megan reported choir was the best part of her day and it was what she would remember most about high school because of the opportunities it provided. She mentioned that Ms. Roman had exposed her to jazz, which initially scared Megan but she grew to love it as Ms. Roman pulled her along "...one baby-step at a time ...."  Meagan also appreciate the life-lessons learned in her class. She also noted the Ms. Roman set a good example to her students by supporting various community programs.

Ivie Gonsalves went back to her third grade teacher, Mrs. Stott at Oak Hollow Elementary, to name her most influential teacher. Ivie expressed her appreciation for how she taught her "... to enjoy school and to not judge a person off of what you hear from others." Ivie acknowledged that Mrs. Stott had contributed to making her the person she is and she hopes to be able to influence others.

Kody Gast nominated Jeremiah Coraggio who was his World History teacher and his Economics teacher at Standley Lake High School. Although Kody was "warned" during his freshman year by some upper classmen to not take Mr. Coraggio's class, he took World History from him and enjoyed the class. In his senior year, Kody took Economics from Mr. Coraggio. Kody reported the he made the class fun and interesting and that he was an "...awesome teacher."

Another Standley Lake High School senior, Kelsea Hillam, submitted Ben Thompson, her U.S. History teacher, as her most influential teacher. She said that he knows how to teach, cares for the students, and loves his job. She related the simple story of how he became a history teacher because he had a good history teacher and so he wanted to be one. She said that now she has had a good history teacher and she want to be one.

Brady Schmidt, a teacher at Thornton High School was selected by Alberta Chau. He has been Alberta's teacher for the past three years for literature, history, and psychology. Alberta related learning activities, that made an impression on her, from each of the three years. One of the most interesting ones was "... chanting the Freudian stages of personality development." He taught many life lessons to her including that "... no matter what we do, we will always make a dent in someone else's life, good or bad, and that could be all the difference."

Diana Baer offered a touching description of why she nominated Stacy Minter of Westminster High School. She said that entering high school was very stressful for her and, to complicate matters, she was  also diagnosed with a learning disability. Ms. Minter recognized Diana's talent for writing, took a personal interest in her, and throughout the high school years, helped her develop that talent. Diana has now become a successful writer because Ms. Minter helped her and believed in her. Diana's gratitude was summarized with her emotional proclamation, "She pulled me out from drowning."

Marissa Prewitt chose Sue Boelter from Westview Elementary as her most influential teacher. Ms. Boelter was Marissa's teacher in the fourth and fifth grades. Ms. Boelter  taught  many life lessons to her class. In addition, since Marissa was very shy, her teacher helped her to step outside her comfort zone and develop other skills, especially in math. Ms. Boelter taught her to never doubt herself and that everyone can succeed. She developed a relationship with each student and inspired them.

The teacher and students were joined by Julie Enger - Principal of Mountain Range High School,  Tracy Amend - Principal of Mountain View Elementary, and Dr. Mary Lindimore principal of Northglenn High School. David Felton, who was honored at one of the teachers, is the principal of Henderson Elementary School.

The Teacher Appreciation Night is an annual event hosted by the Church for the purpose of recognizing outstanding teachers and helping students develop a Christ-like attitude of gratitude.