Here's some good reading: Tampa Bay area students telling us what they love about their favorite high school teachers for tb-two*s first My Teacher Kicks Asterisk contest. The Pinellas winner was Dennis Zuercher of Gibbs High; the Hillsborough winner was Jessica Kight of King High. Below are all the essays submitted, arranged by school in alphabetical order. Don't see your fave here? Watch for details about next year's contest.

*ANCLOTE HIGH

Marcela St. Onge
Science
My teacher kicks asterisk because she is a teacher that will understand if a project is not working and will not just give you an “F.” She is also entertaining. — Tyler Raimo, freshman

Jessica Wolf
Physical Science
My teacher is so awesome and makes learning so fun, and she does so much for us. — Melissa Hood, freshman

* * *

She does so much for us. She helps us when we need it, and helps us after school if we need extra help. She buys a lot of stuff for our class and does activities to make it fun and educational. She is so helpful, and kicks asterisk!!! — Sarah Hood, freshman

* * *

My teacher kicks asterisk because she is awesome, and does so much for us and helps us as much as we need her. She deserves it. — Shelby Scott, freshman

***

My teacher deserves this because she does so much for us and just makes it fun and educational and everyone loves her so much. — Kristie Maloney, freshman

*ARMWOOD HIGH

Stacey Bruton
Intensive reading
I think she is great because she takes care of her students. She also helps us with our grades and how to improve them. She lets us know of good books and subjects that we may like. She takes time to teach us. — Omayra Marcano, freshman

* * *

Mostly all my life I have struggled with reading and the reading FCAT, but since being In Mrs.Bruton's class I have more confidence in myself that I can pass the reading FCAT. She helps her students a lot. Now I'm understanding reading more than I ever understood it. She never rushes her students. If you don’t get the lesson she makes sure you get it before moving on, even if that means going over the lesson over and over.  To me, that’s a great teacher! — Terranna Brock, freshman   

*BLOOMINGDALE HIGH

Jennifer Beach
U.S. History Honors, Women’s Studies, Psychology Honors
Mrs. Beach is indubitably one of the best teachers at Bloomingdale. She understands how the mind works from her experience teaching psychology. She uses a combination of visual, auditory and kinesthetic teaching styles to effectively assist her students in understanding the material. Her upbeat attitude affects all who enter her classroom and they leave feeling better about themselves than when they came in. In addition to being a phenomenal teacher, Mrs. Beach is also the coach of the cross country team and the girl’s track team. She excels at providing encouragement to those who have run out of steam along the way and she is able to get them back up and running again. She is well loved by all who meet her. She definitely deserves to be rewarded for all of her hard work. — Alexander McCausland, junior

* BOCA CIEGA HIGH

Robert Florio
History (at Tarpon Springs), administrator
When Mr. Florio taught American History at Tarpon Springs High School he put history in a whole different perspective. Not only did he teach history, he taught valuable life lessons that I will always remember. He taught us how to apply history to our daily lives and actually appreciate it. He is my favorite teacher ever! — Katie Badger, Tarpon Springs senior

Kim Moskel
Marine biology
My teacher is the best; the way she teaches us is very unique. We have a journal notebook that we have to fill out every day for points. She gives us extra help when needed. If she asigns homework, she’ll give us time to do it in class first. She makes learning fun. We always have games before a test to refresh our memory. Sometimes we will play games for candy or extra credit points towards our grade for that assignment. (She) is dedicated to her job, takes it seriously, and loves teaching. She has a warm spirit, she never lets personal problems get in her way of teaching something new or having a good time with her students. She’s always happy; she acknowledges all her students as they walk in the class. It’s very hard to get her mad or upset; she’s firm but she’s fair. She’s our teacher first then our friend. I really think my teacher is the best there is. — Travon Speights, junior 
 

*CHAMBERLAIN ADULT

Sarah Clark
Math
Ms. Clark is my math and homeroom teacher. I total love her; she takes time to help me with whatever I do not understand, whether it’s reading, science or any subject, she still takes her time to help me. If I have a problem at home or school, she knows and will ask me what’s wrong and talk to me to make me feel better. If it’s at school, she helps me work it out or just forget about it because its not worth it. She is just the best teacher in life. (There are) not enough words to describe her or her personality, she’s just the sweetest. — Mia Seymore, junior

*CHAMBERLAIN HIGH

Adam Ritzenthaler
Chemistry
To the surprise of many, I love going to my first period. That’s right, FIRST period. Nope, it’s not a cool elective or a teacher's assistant period. I love learning in my chemistry class. Mr. Ritz makes learning fun. Of course we a have a standard curriculum, but he teaches us everything we need to know in a more pleasing way. We have labs all the time. This is the best part about chemistry. Last week we made hot air balloons out of plastic bendy straws and trash bags. Who wouldn’t want to do that? We do take notes, but they aren’t monotone definitions recited by a boring teacher. Mr. Ritz gives us real-life examples of the problems and never hesitates to help a puzzled student. Aside from being a great teacher, Mr Ritz is a great dad! He’s always showing us adorable pictures of his two adorable daughters, and now he has a baby boy on the way. Mr. Ritzenthaler definitely kicks asterisk! I mean, who couldn’t, with such an awesome last name?  — Kaitlin Richardson, sophomore

get to the kids how to teach them and how to motivate them to doing things that themselves didn’t believe they could do.     — Joaquin Garcia, sophomore

* DIXIE HOLLINS HIGH

Crystal Rockne
American Sign Language
She is always there for her babies (students). She loves each and every one of us and is always there to help us for school or personal problems. She has been through a lot in her personal life and never once let anything get in the way of the care, love and compassion she has for her students. Even if she isn’t your teacher, if she sees you are having problems, she is there to help. She does everything she can to make sure that (students) are succesfull in everything they do. Rockne treats us all as if we were her own kids and she does a great job teaching us about deaf culture and how to sign. Once a year we travel to St. Augustine to help out at Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. — Trista Avery, junior

* * *

She is always making people feel better, on top of teaching. I have her for my home room and she is awesome!  — Erianna Sailor, sophomore

*DUNEDIN HIGH

Brian Bruch
Football coach
It is my pleasure introduce to you Mr. Brian Bruch, a teacher for close to 30  years currently serving at Dunedin High. I first meet Coach Bruch in 1983 at Northeast High at his first teaching assignment. Coach was my first high school football coach. Coach Bruch — as a teacher, a man and friend — was life changing for me. Coach Bruch didn’t just teach your class or your football team but he contributed to the person you will be as an adult. It is teachers like Coach Bruch that make good productive citizens. This is the kind of education that I hope my children get from their time in school. I left Pinellas County Schools in 1987 to get my bachelor in science in criminal justice from West Virginia State University. I returned to Pinellas County Schools in 2010 to discover that Coach Bruch was still teaching and making peoples’ time in school fantastic. I currently work with Coach Bruch as the school resource officer and found he has not changed. The kids still appreciate the things he bring to the table as a leader and educator. — Jim Miller, school resource officer

Meredith Cappel
Public speaking and English I
Ms. Cappel is a very down-to-earth teacher who everybody feels like they can comfortably talk to and relate to. She has a good relationship with all of her students, and she is always in a postive mood. She knows the material she is teaching and teaches in a fun but efficient way. She’s a really good teacher!  — Tally
Hall, junior

Ann Hunt
Algebra I and II
Ms. Hunt is always in the happiest mood even though she has a lot going on at home. She makes her students feel like they matter and pushes them to succeed. She keeps things easygoing by always having a ”Joke of the Day” :) but she knows how to seriously do the work. She is a teacher who works very hard and I think she deserves a lot of credit! — Tally Hall, junior 

*DURANT HIGH

Courtney Singletary
Reading
My teacher is awesome because she lets us do all kinds of fun things. We do work, but she always makes it fun. She always knows how to bring a smile to everyone's face. — Jazmyne Estes, sophomore 

Paul Spinler
Mathematics
Mr. Spinler is a great teacher. — Haley Rushing, senior

Jamin Hollingsworth
Impact
My teacher is really set to help us graduate and do the best of our ability. He also gets us thinking about what we want to do in our lives and how to get there. — Jordan Bruner, senior

*EAST LAKE HIGH

Katie Murphy-Tracy
Photography, Art 2D/3D
My teacher loves to see us succeed. Mrs. Murphy always pushes our photos to be the best they can be and lets us have fun doing it. Her light-hearted spirit is enjoyed by all her students. She is always entering our photos in art contests to give us things for our college apps. She actually cares about her students, and no matter what, she’s always happy. She is like our mom, too, because if you are ever sick or in a bad mood she has always got chocolate or a good speech to motivate you to keep moving on. Mrs. Murphy always finds the humor in everything. She is the teacher you can always go to and vent about all your issues. Also she truly cares about your future. She is always asking what you plan to do with your life, how you plan to get there and how you want her to help you get there. There is no better description of amazing than Mrs. Murphy herself. That is why the “Murph-inator” kicks asterisk! — Alex Trump, sophomore

*GAITHER HIGH

First Name: Jacob
Last Name: Gowen
Karen Haag
Anatomy and physiology
Mrs.Haag is one of the best teachers I have ever had here at Gaither. She makes learning fun and interesting. She has ways of keeping all of us kids paying attention. She tells us humorous stories to help us remember facts about what we're learning. It's not just worksheets and notes to copy; she has us doing fun activities as a class to help as well. She is one of the most knowledgeable teachers when its comes to her subject. If you have any question about the human body or ... cats, you ask her because she knows everything about anything in the human body. — Jacob Gowen, senior

Michaela Meyers
Reading
My teacher actually knows what she is doing when she teaches. She also makes the class fun. There is about 88 percent of kids that pass FCAT if she teaches them. Bottom line, she is the BEST teacher. — Gabe Garren, senior

Louisa Ogle
AVID, newspaper
My teacher kicks asterisk because she’s always there for every student. She works deliberately long and hard, staying after school to help students who need extra help, with out being asked to. She’s not only a teacher but a friend, always giving the best advice and listening to all my problems, even when she doesn’t want to.  — Juan Loaiza, junior  

*GIBBS HIGH

Dennis Zuercher
AP U.S. History, AP Human Geography
Mr. Zuercher is the man. The first day of class you walk into his classroom with a big smile ready to learn. He stands by the door in his khaki pants, spotless white shirt, necktie casually tossed over his shoulder (swag), staring up at you through his glasses. He directs you to a seat without cracking a smile. He already knows your name. Intimidation accomplished. Day Two, you walk in expecting a repeat performance. You shyly shrug into what you thought was this dungeon of a classroom to find Mr. Z in all of his 5 and a half foot glory cracking up at the sight of your worried-looking face. His “Mr. Mean-Teacher” bit has never failed!
The rest of the year is filled with unhindered learning. I have never learned so much in a class before nor have I met a teacher like Zuerch before. He is in education for all of the right reasons. He truly cares for his students; he does all that he can to make them learn. He offers one-on-one help, inspires you to learn through your own natural inquisitiveness, conducts week-long social experiments and understands what it means to be an educator. He does all of this while continuously cracking jokes. Mr. Z’s AP test scores for both of his classes are among the highest in the county, and last year he even bet two students that if they got 5’s he would cut his hair into a mohawk (Sadly only one obtained a 5). He is an inspiring teacher, family man, counselor, guide, educator, jokester and confidant. There is NO ONE like Mr. Zuercher.  — Austin Crawford, senior
* * *    
Mr. Zuecher is a certified BA. He teaches however he wants, despite criticism from the administration, and his teaching methods work. He teaches in a way that makes students want to learn. He is truly passionate about U.S, history, and wants his students to share his passion. He’s fun, humorous and witty. He always will be one of my favorite teachers! — Trey Johnson, senior
* * *
Mr. Zuercher is the greatest teacher at Gibbs High School. He is the most intelligent member of the staff. It is almost impossible to get distracted from his lesson because he is so energetic and entertaining. I have taken his classes two years in a row. I have learned more from him than all other teachers combined. He has to put up with the constant changes and issues of Gibbs High School yet he still loves the school. He treats every student equally, and every student that has ever had him appreciates his dedication. — Zoe Tischner, senior
* * *
Basically Dennis Zuercher is not only the best teacher I’ve ever had, he’s probably the best teacher Gibbs has ever had. He could easily teach at an A-rated school instead of a D-rated one but he chose to stay at Gibbs to support the students who know and love him. He teaches social studies in an engaging fun manner using anything from class discussions to interactive lessons to teach. Several times throughout the course he takes his classes to the school’s dance studio and teaches everyone to dance in a particular time period’s popular style, such as the waltz or the Charleston. Personally I had always been a history lover. But Mr. Zuercher’s APUSH class made me want to major in history when I go to college. In fact, I love his teaching so much that I chose to take APHG (a class I had zero interest in) merely so that I could learn from him a second year. Although his students and Gibbs faculty adore Zuercher, he doesn’t receive the credit he deserves as an incredible teacher and mentor. He should absolutely be recognized as an amazing teacher, a friend to students and an all around fantastic guy. — Molly Jacobson, senior
* * *
Zuercher has been the best teacher I’ve had in my entire life. He teaches you U.S. history but unlike most teachers he makes sure you understand every detail about that time period in America. It’s really incredible; I never thought that I could be a student who actually knows what they are talking about in class. Zuercher made it so that I could be one of those students. Does your teacher read you Dr. Seuss and relate it to immigration during the Industrial Revolution? Does your teacher stand on desks to make a point? Does your teacher care so much about your personal education that he’s willing to say things other teachers would not while an administrator’s in the room? Does your teacher actually enjoy teaching you? Zuercher does. I’ve learned such an incredible amount of things in his class, I really wonder at how he did it. His class teaches me homework and study habits that go on to other subjects. Without his class I would be very clueless about U.S. History. I look forward to the class antics and lectures every day, and I don’t think anyone in the world deserves more recognition for his teaching. — Andrea Tafelski, junior
* * *
Never have I met a single human being who was so willing to help and encourage students to learn. Somehow Mr. Zeurcher was able to make history so interesting and easy to absorb, that’s what I really enjoyed about his class. I always knew that I wasn’t going to be given busy work, with vocabulary to temporarily memorize. Whatever was being given to us was something that we’d actually go in-depth about, something that was so substantial to our curriculum. I was never as close to him as many of my other peers but he still made an effort to treat me just as he would treat any other student walked into his class. Mr. Zeurcher cares so much about the success and well-being of each of  his students. Mr. Zeurcher is energized and passionate about what he teaches, and that’s why he makes one of the best mentors I’ve ever had. He goes over and beyond to make sure his students are having a good day, and to make them feel like they have some kind of worth. — Olivia Go, senior

*HILLSBOROUGH HIGH

Samantha Caldwell
Intensive Reading
She’s cool, and no one ever bothers to skip her class, ’cause it’s easy, educational and fun. — Sheila Safe, sophomore

Shelbea Houston
Math
Having a helpful teacher is one of the best things in the world. Ms. Houston has been very helpful to me in many ways. She is someone you can talk to about anything. Also she cares about all her students no matter what and will do anything to help them pass and move on with life. You can talk to Ms. Houston about anything. If you miss school, she is the first one to ask you why and make sure everything is alright. And if you’re falling behind in one of her classes she will have you stay after school, that way you will not fall behind. Ms. Houston shares acts of kindness in so many different ways you can not just talk about one of them. She is just a very uplifting person. The things she does to help other people are amazing. She is very encouraging. Every time you see her she always greets you with a smile. There is never anything negative said about her. She is one of the main reasons why I passed the FCAT. — Adriant Harrison, junior

Christina Mayo
Multimedia Foundations
She is the best teacher ever. She is knowledgeable, she is strict, but understanding. She is sweet towards the students. When the material is too hard to understand she sticks by your side until you comprehend the information presented. I LOVE HER. SHE IS SO AMAZING (:  — Rossana Marquez, senior
* * *
Mrs. Mayo has been quite an inspiration to me. Through her tender heart and her strict ways she has taught me the importance of receiving a good education. Before meeting her, school was nothing but a social event that held no importance of attendance. Many teachers I have had treated me as a delinquent whose future was to be spent behind iron bars. Mrs. Mayo viewed me as an equal, and rather than looking down on me for my behavior, she placed me on the right track. For that I will be eternally grateful and indebted to her.  — Monique Manlapig, senior

Philip Packard
Spanish
My teacher kicks asterisk because he’s one of the coolest teachers I’ve ever had! Mr. Packard always has these amazing stories to tell us about the most random things. It seems like he has a story for everything; it’s super entertaining and it cracks everyone up! The only reason you could dislike Mr. Packard is if you don’t ever listen to him and get bad grades on your tests, but really that’s your fault for not paying attention and not studying. On top of being absolutely hilarious Mr. Packard is really nice and is a pretty good Spanish teacher! — Priya Patel, sophomore

* * *

He defended our class from a gang of ruthless hoodlums. It was scary but Mr. Packard saved our asterisks. — Chris Sato, junior

Desiree Tisci
American Sign Language
Ms. Tisci is a wonderful teacher! I am in her seventh-period American Sign Language class and it is by far my FAVORITE class. She is so interactive and helpful with all of her students, and I am very surprised at how much sign language we have learned. At first I wasn’t really sure I wanted to take ASL and I absolutely believe that if I didn’t have such an outstanding teacher that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as I do now. I am so glad that I did get into Sign Language along with one of my friends, Alexis, who also absolutely loves ASL and Ms. Tisci. We have the greatest time in that class; it’s awesome to have such a fun teacher! She definitely deserves an award for all the effort she has put into the class and her students. —Anne Whitaker, sophomore

*KING HIGH

Daniel Keen
English
My teacher talks to his students like we’re normal people, not just high schoolers. You can tell he’s a good teacher by the way he shares his passion of English with his students. He goes out of his way for each student to understand his lesson; he even spends his own private life creating better lessons for his classes to learn. Teachers like this are rare to come upon — like a penny face up on the ground. It’s my pleasure to nominate Mr. Keen for being an awesome teacher. — Emily Buffington, junior

Sarah Holcombe
Reading
She helps us understand reading more than any other of my reading teachers! She (gets) us ready for all the big tests so we can graduate. That's why I go to her class every day (and) try not to be late. She is a very outstanding teacher. —  Khadijah Pearson, junior

* * *

My teacher kicks asterisk because: She is the best!! — Tanner Williams, junior   

Jessica Kight
Reading
My teacher kicks asterisk because she helps you by talking to you, and (helps you with) your FCAT by checking books out in the library and readint the newspaper. She is funny, too. Thank you, Mrs. Kight, thank you for being a good teacher. — Ruben Andresil, junior

* * *

She is animated and approachable, although a little strict, with very fair discipline (for) all students equally. She loves reading and inspired us to do our own by bringing words alive and telling stories in a way that made everything said more colorful and vibrant. Fun-loving (and) although a younger teacher wasn’t opinionated but allowed students to (voice) personal ideas that were adopted in class. My favorite teacher is a person that I would like to be! — Shasha Brown, junior

* * *

Mrs.Kight is my favorite teacher because she’s understanding. She listens when students have things to say, unlike other teachers. Another reason why Mrs. Kight is my favorite teacher is because she cares. I come to her with my personal problems and she gives me life-changing advice. Also, she’s always in a good mood. Her attitude makes my day at school go by a bit smoother. — Shiasia Coleman, junior  

* * *

I think that Mrs.Kight is a very considerate teacher. She loves to teach, and she helped me pass my FCAT  with tips and pointers and I’m very grateful for that. Her passion for working and helping us even though we can be bad sometimes is awesome.  — Kiersten Davis, junior

* * *

Mrs.Kight has helped me understand what I read about, learn bigger vocabulary words and has put a lot of new knowledge in my brain. — Andre Dunbar, junior

* * *

Mrs.Kight is not only a great teacher, she is also a genuinally caring person. If a student is not understanding the lesson, Mrs.Kight would be more than happy to help them catch up. Mrs.Kight follows the curriculum but also teaches us more. You will never leave Mrs.Kight's room without any gained knowledge. She has so much to offer to us, and she is a perfect example of what a true teacher should be. She doesn't teach for the money. She teaches because she believes that teaching is what she was always destined to do. Mrs.Kight understands that she has a gift. A gift that reaches out to students. A gift that I will forever cherish. Because of Mrs.Kight, I want to be a teacher. I want to help students become mature young adults, as she is doing for us. Mrs.Kight showed me that I had more potential than I thought I had. So many students have been impacted by her loving and caring personality. Students all over King High School are now much better readers, and much better people. Mrs.Kight brought out the talent and compassion in me. She is a true inspiration. — Sarah Tyner, junior

* * *

Mrs. Kight is more than my favorite teacher. She is like my mother away from home. Mrs. Kight has helped me all throughout high school. She has helped in and out of school: dealing with college applications, one-on-one tutoring for rigorous classes, cheerleading mentally and financially, and our ”come to Jesus” talks. Mrs Kight is one of the reasons I continue to succeed. Another thing is, unlike other teachers, she is honest and gets straight to the point. Thanks to her, my confidence shines and I maintain a positive attitude. I love her more than I love shopping and cheerleading. Though she is not a guy, she is my knight in shining amour. She has saved me more than once through my high school dilemmas and continues to stick by my side. I can not thank her enough for everything she continues to do for me and our beloved King High School. — LaVonda Weston, senior

Madeilynann Mitchell
Volleyball coach, ceramics teacher
My teacher kicks asterisk because she is very helpful. Mrs. Mitchell also treats all of her students with respect and kindness. She is a delight to see on a daily basis. Mrs. Mitchell makes learning a blissful part of life.  — Regina Tidwell, sophomore

Lori Overton
AVID
She’s there when you need her the most. My teacher is the greatest gift on earth. Most teachers at our school doesn’t work as hard as Mrs. Overton. I feel like I can come to her about anything. She knows my personal situations and she never once judged me. As a senior, she’s been helping her students with college applications and scholarships. She’s there even on her lunch and free time. She is a super woman: She balances taking care of her children and taking care of us. From Day One, I respected my teacher; she goes out of her way to help me when I’m in need. She listens, and when you think you’re worthless she changes your whole perspective. I don’t know what I would’ve done without her. Thanks to her and helping us apply to college early, I have received two acceptance letters along with scholarships. — Samone Wilson, senior

Madeilynanne Mitchell
Art and volleyball coach
She is one of the best art teachers that King has ever had. — Jesika Byrd, senior

* * *

She is the best, nicest teacher ever. — Jordan Karstadt, sophomore

* * *

She is just by far the best art teacher I have ever met in my life. She explains things in many different ways of learning, and keeps the class on task in a friendly but hypnotising way! — James Abdallah, senior

* * *
My teacher is very helpful. Mrs. Mitchell also treats all of her students with respect and kindness. She is a delight to see on a daily basis. Mrs. Mitchell makes learning a blissful part of life. — Regina Tidwell, sophomore

* * *

She always makes the subject fun. She always is funny and works with us. — Carliris Santos, senior

Tavaris Thomas
Math, football coach
I nominated Coach Thomas because he is a very nice and funny teacher. He pushes his students and helps us with everything.  If we’re doing something wrong, he makes sure he’ll pull you to the side and let you know what you’re doing wrong, and the things you’re doing right as well. — Nakita Bompers, sophomore

*LAKEWOOD HIGH

Jayce Ganchou
Art, Baseball Coach
Jayce Ganchou is one of my favorite teachers of all time. He doesn’t even seem like he’s a teacher. He’s extremely easy to relate to and to talk to about your problems. Probably the most interesting teacher you’ll ever meet. He doesn’t condemn self expression. His room is decorated with student work and his work, including a ton of Red Sox stuff. Mr. Ganchou actually helps students with their work. I’m not the best artist, and I wasn’t grasping an assignment very well, so he actually showed me what he did and even gave me some tips. Mr. Ganchou also saved somebody’s life: In Toledo, he pulled a person from a burning car when they were passed out. — Owen Dyches, freshman

Anthony Snead
Digital Design
Mr. Snead (a.k.a. Coach Snead) is one of the best teachers I have had. He is a cool teacher and he’s always joking around with the class, but he can be serious sometimes. He is also the track coach. He does everything he can to make sure that his students does not fail his class. — Anthony Tisdale, senior

Gabriella Squarciafico-Volz
World History Honors
Ms. Squarciafico-Volz makes me want to go to history every day, which is really rare for most high school students. Normally history is extremely boring but Ms. Squarciafico makes it fun; she makes everything funny and entertaining. She has a cool New York/Italian accent that makes her even more awesome. She always helps me when I ask for help. Also she really helps us with remembering because of how funny she is and because of her mnemonic devices. We love you Ms. Squarciafico-Volz!!! — Caroline Dunning, freshman

*LAND O' LAKES HIGH

Mark Pearson
English I
He’s always involved in our class. He makes an effort to inject humor into all of his lectures while still maintaining the peace and making sure we learn. He goes the extra mile for us students and will always help us with questions, often going in-depth with the answers. Mr. Pearson rocks! — Taylor Ney, freshman   

*LENNARD HIGH

Alexander Bailes
Leadership Education
My master sergeant kicks my asterisk because he makes me do pushups when I say “hey,” but hey I can’t help it, it’s my first year in JROTC. But I am getting better. He is always redirecting me into the right path of leadership. When things are getting too easy he makes it harder and no matter how much I don’t like it, it motivates me to do better than what it is expected of me. That is one part of JROTC’s goal: to be all you can be, but better. — Richard Davies, senior

Robert Procter
Leadership Education
There are two reasons why he kicks my asterisk: He motivates me to be all I can be, and try my best in all I do. Nothing more, nothing less. — Amber Jobe, sophomore

Krista Reynolds
Science
Mrs Reynolds is a well-known teacher. She is always there to make people smile and happy. She is a great teacher and a great role model. Most of all, she really kicks my asterisk and she loves all her students and co-teachers.  — Richard Davies, senior

*OSCEOLA FUNDAMENTAL HIGH

John Stewart
English, AP art history, creative writing, literature in the arts
Mr. Stewart not only enjoys the subjects he teaches but also makes them more than enjoyable. You can tell the passion he has for the subjects he teaches, and the hard work he puts in to each class. He knows a lot of outside connections and generously shares them with us. My AP art history class got the opportunity to go to the Dali Museum (to) thoroughly learn one of Dali’s famous paintings, then got to present (the art) not only to our teacher and faculty but also our parents and friends. The night was called ”fundamentally surreal.” I am very thankful for having such an enthusiastic and kind-hearted teacher.  — Zoe Boehme, junior
3/15/2012 6:26:52 PM

*PALM HARBOR UNIVERSITY HIGH

Judy Cannaday
Yearbook, Journalism, English
She always is nice to people and if anyone needs help she tries her best to do so in a productive way. — Brittany McLaughlin, freshman

*PINELLAS PARK HIGH

Cynthia Freed
English, English Honors, Speech, Speech, AP Literature and Composition
Ms. Freed kicks asterisk because she’s hardworking, dedicated and very generous. As one of my role models (she inspires me to) do anything that I put my mind to. I’m amazed as a single mom she teaches four different subjects during a regular high school day but she also teaches five college classes at night during the week and, stunningly, she attends college herself, mastering her doctorate degree in curriculum and education. Besides teaching Ms. Freed gives back to the school by being our Criminal Justice Academy (CJA) Mock Trial Sponsor, our CJA Debate Team Coach, and has been elected the English/Reading Department Chairperson. She is one of the most encouraging teachers I have. Ms. Freed is very approachable, uplifting and makes her class interesting. It’s clear she cares about her students; she treats all of them as if they were her own. Caring about their academic performance, she works after school tutoring students (in) key points in passing the ACT and SAT and FCAT with impressive scores. I give thanks to Ms. Freed because she helped me raise my ACT score from a 19 to a 23 by staying after the final bell for an hour a week. Now that I received an acceptable score on my ACT, I qualify for admissions into Florida Gulf Coast University. — Lea Robertson, senior
* * *
She has given her time to stay after, for hours and hours at a time, to help. This is the only class I can’t wait to attend. I have her for three periods, and in each one she demonstrates excellent skills in assisting me. She also has a great personality and is easy to have a casual conversation with. I have had help with numerous papers and have gotten A’s on most of them. She has sat down with me to help me develop a well-written thesis and introductory paragraph. She also involves herself in a lot of extracurricular activities and is also a teacher for SPC, is a leader for mock trial and is a part of Law Honor Society. I recommended all of my friends take her AP Literature class because she teaches things differently than normal teachers. Even after I graduate high school I still plan to keep in touch with her and have her help me with my papers. — Brittany Workman, senior

*PLANT HIGH

John DeOrio
English, reading
Mr. DeOrio is the best teacher in all of Hillsborough County. Some things in Springboard I don’t understand and Mr. DeOrio is always there to help! He stays after school to coach wrestling, but says English is always first. He deserves this award because he is always there for every one of his students. Kids that switch from other classes with lower grades, he helps a lot more than other teachers to bring those grades up. Oh, and to make it better, he is an Eagle Scout and teaches us life lessons. — Joey Peel, senior

* * *
Mr. DeOrio is the best teacher in the world. Everyday he helps me learn by going over things with me. I think he should get this award. — Skylar King, senior

*ROBINSON HIGH

Jill Burns
Journalism
Mrs. Burns is one of the most understanding, helpful teachers in Tampa. She’s constantly working to make her students better and shaping them into model men and women no matter what the cost. Regularly she dedicates her time after school to her students and school, and toils strenuously to meet her students’ needs regardless of what she actually gets out of it. Mrs. Burns deserves to win this contest and every other one after it. — Christy Harrisberger, junior

* SICKLES HIGH

Portia Bradby
Orchestra, chorus and guitar
Ms. Bradby kicks asterisks because we can relate to her. She’s very sweet, and makes class time very fun. Her energy level is super high and she’s always positive. She makes funny jokes when it’s too serious to keep us focused. She knows how to bring out her inner youth, and her panache is out of this world. — Leigh Hernandez, Evan Bertienbach and Alex Arroyo, freshmen   

Diana Carrillo
English
I nominate my teacher Mrs.Carillo because she is an amaizng teacher, and she really breaks things down so you can understand them more.  — Ashley Vanderham, sophomore
 

Rick Ceglio
Culinary
Chef is awesome because he helps with school events and includes his students to be involveld as well. He also helps the homeless. He is admired and respected by teachers and students. The best thing is that he puts everything into what he teaches, with passion, and does as much as he can to see his students succeed. — John Diaz, junior    

Laurie Greco
Law studies, court procedures
She is very productive in school and throughout the community. A good example for the community work is the “”Breast Cancer Walk Marathon” she completed a few months back. She does a lot for the her classes and respects every student the same. She goes above and beyond what she is asked to do as a teacher. She is also very outgoing and very respected by the students and staff in our school.  — Raymond Santiago, junior

* * *

When I came into her class I was pretty sure I wanted to be a lawyer. I wasn’t 100 percent sure though; I was still on the fence about what I wanted to do in the future. Eventually, after sitting in her class I knew officially that I wanted to be a lawyer. Her way of teaching is great; she’s funny and keeps the class alive. Everyone is paying full attention and doing their work, and by the time midterm exams come around? My whole 7th period scored A’s on the exam. She has a way that makes you feel at home; she really is like a home away from home. Not only does she teach profoundly, but she laughs and jokes with her students. She keeps everyone 100 percent awake; no one sleeps. Her class isn’t hard, as long as you take the notes, listen to her lectures and study. Everything is a piece of cake by the time the test comes around. Mrs. Greco should be rewarded for her amazing teaching skills, ability to relate and her actual care for students. Mrs. Greco sets up our pep rallies; she sets up homecoming and graduation and helps with prom. She is an all around great teacher and a big part of this school.  — Chelsea Carillo, junior

Lauren Rismiller
Biology, biology honors
I think Mrs. Rismiller is an amazing teacher. She keeps biology interesting, always having us do labs that are fun. and interacting with us. She is almost always available after school, unless she is coaching the tennis team. Mrs. Rismiller also takes photos on her free time and shares them with our class and relates them to the subject we are talking about. She was also a dolphin trainer in the movie Dolphin Tale. She is always willing to help, and I am proud to call her my teacher. — Taylor Beacham, freshman
   
 

*SOUTH COUNTY CAREER CENTER

Melissa J. Brown
Reading
She is a good teacher, and she is good hearted. —  Robert Hernandez, junior
* * *
My teacher is a GREAT teacher because whenever I need help she’s always there to help me out. Some teachers don’t always take the responsibility to do that, even though it’s half their job. Im really glad I got to do this to show her I care! :D — Rebecca Schutz, junior

*ST. PETERSBURG HIGH

Hugo St John III
Pre-IB English
St. Johnny is, for lack of a better word, smart. He’s unlike most other teachers I’ve encountered and probably my favorite of the seven I see every day. His teaching methods ensure that we leave each class having learned something, and he challenges us. He’s the only English teacher in the world who would take us into deep analysis of a Billy Collins poem on the first day of school, and then into deeper analysis of a Lonely Island song the next day. — Max Asayesh-Brown, freshman

Karyn Tash
Inquiry Skills
She’s a mother. I’m not talking about the two children she has but the average of 150 new students she becomes a second mother for every year. This woman handles every I.B. freshman each year and transforms them from timid middle school students to the high school students they must become. Karyn Tash has perfected this with the exact balance of tough love and coddling needed in order for these students to grow and be successful. To prove it, just listen to the number of times people go around saying “Thank God for Tash” or “Maybe Mrs. Tash will know” and no, it’s not only freshmen. Sophomores, juniors and seniors alike depend on Tash. Whether it’s advice on a teacher you just can’t work up the nerve to talk to or whether it’s seeing if your college essay is absolutely perfect in order to get into your dream school she is the woman for you. She’s a teacher but so much more. She’s a source of information. She’s a reality (sometimes the good sometimes the bad). She’s a protector. She is a second mother.  — Nicole Fernandez, senior

Karen Vann
IB English
Ms. Vann is the self proclaimed “Crazy Lady with the southern accent (that) you’ll remember 30 years from now.” She has vivid purple and magenta pink streaks in her dark blond hair and her outfits seem to match her mood. Ms. Vann is inspiring, encouraging and supportive. I wholeheartedly believe Ms. Vann has been the core of my high school experience. At 7 a.m. the last thing I want to do is contemplate the meaning of life. The last thing I want to do is think about what “this” (whatever “this “ may be) means to me. But her message is loud and clear and written in off-centered capital orange letters: OBJECTIVE: TO PAY ATTENTION. Pay attention to who you are. Why are you here? Why are you sitting in my class? Ms. Vann’s questions inspire me. Ms. Vann inspires me to not only evaluate what or why I’m learning, but she also inspires me to learn for the sake of learning. During my sophomore year Ms. Vann encouraged participation in class and to learn life lessons from Tobias’ Wolfe’s This Boy’s Life, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and even, dare I say, Shakespearean sonnets. Ms. Vann made English and all learning more than just tests, quizzes and term papers, but learning about our nature, and human nature. Through my senior year Ms. Vann’s inspiration was the motivation to apply to my dream school. She was incredibly helpful with the entire process, and I will be attending this school. Ms. Vann cares and makes learning an all-encompassing experience. — Noura Elsayed, senior

*ST. PETERSBURG COLLEGIATE HIGH

Sally Hoogewerf
Leadership and resource instructor
Starting this year at Collegiate, the juniors and seniors are required to take a new Leadership Course led by Ms. Sally Hoogewerf. a young bright teacher who I believe “kicks asterisk!” Ms. Hoogewerf does so much for our school, including grading and assigning about 150 homeworks and in-class assignments each week for the students in the Leadership Course, runs two separate 90-minute meetings each week for students and is also in charge of the Collegiate Academic Resource Lab (CARL). On top of these things she also is the advisor for our Interact Club and an active member of the PTSA. I believe Ms. Hoogewerf is the most hard-working, kind and fair teacher I have ever had, and she has to deal with me and the rest of the Collegiate students for sophomore, junior and senior years! This woman is truly inspirational to me. — Jennifer Baugher, junior
 

*STEINBRENNER HIGH

Stephen Messina
Physics Honors
Mr. Messina makes physics not just something that you learn but something applicable that you’ll use for the rest of your life. He doesn’t lecture but rather incorporates our lessons into everyday activities and shows us simple things we do every day that are all because of the wonderful world of physics. Mr. Messina makes the classroom fun and enjoyable but most important, he has opened all of our eyes to the beauty and wonder of physics like no other teacher could ever do. — Eleanor Wilson, junior

*STRAWBERRY CREST HIGH

Cheri Sleeper
Director of Wind and Orchestral Studies
Mrs. Sleeper is the most awesome band director. She demands 100 percent from her students but gives back 200 percent. The first year Strawberry Crest was open (three years ago) Mrs. Sleeper not only directed the marching band and the orchestra but was (also) in charge of the chorus, guitar and theater. Mrs. Sleeper kicks asterisk because everyone in the Music Department knows she has worked hard to be as good as she is. All of her students want to do their best for her out of respect (or maybe it’s fear. No it’s respect) and admiration. If any teacher deserves to be rewarded for totally committing to (her) job, for caring about each of her students, it’s Mrs. Sleeper. After one band competition we were all in the band room changing out of our marching uniforms when the school principal came in and asked why everyone was so quiet, (saying) we should be excited about how great we performed. We told Mr. Brown that we were waiting for Mrs. Sleeper. About that time Mrs. Sleeper came into the room and yelled, ”You guys were AWESOME!” Every band member yelled right along with her until the noise vibrated off the walls. We couldn’t celebrate without Mrs. Sleeper, because she is one of us. The Marching Chargers nominate Mrs. Cheri Sleeper because she Kicks our Asterisk every day already, and we want to make it official! — Alexander Westlake, junior

*TAMPA CATHOLIC

Rod Stearns
US History (DE, AP)
My teacher kicks asterisk because he gets to know each and every student on a personal level. If you need something, like truly need it, he’ll do the most he can to help you attain it. — Mitchell Norden, junior

*TARPON SPRINGS HIGH

Deborah Vasconi
Biology Honors, AP Environmental Science
This is one of those teachers who later in life you go “Mr./Mrs. so and so is the reason that I ...” and you go on to explain one of your various successes. One of the reasons the public education system is in shambles is because teachers have a hard time taking control of their classrooms. Not Mrs. Vasconi. Students respect her because she genuinely LOVES her subject and teaches us accordingly. She has a way of making education fun and challenging at the same time. She cares about the welfare of her students and sets them on the right track whenever they go astray. If every teacher in our schools was like Mrs. Vasconi, America would once again regain our place as the greatest public education system in the world. — Michael Newcomer, senior

* * *
This amazingly spectacular woman loves what she does. Every day when I walk into Mrs. Vasconi’s AP environmental class, my day gets better. She always is in a great mood and always has something new to teach us. I remember when I was a freshman I heard horror stories about this woman, but then I walked into her classroom and the first day I found myself laughing because she cracked a joke about the freshman she has for her honors biology class. She may love seniors the most, but it shows that she sincerely cares about every one of her students. Only having her for a half a year, I found myself interested in a subject (enviornmental science) that I’d never heard of before she taught it to me. Not very many teachers can have that kind of effect on students.
— Andrew Lontakos, senior

Jay Gordon
Psychology
I nominate Mr. Gordon as my favorite teacher because not only does he care about the information he teaches but he also cares that we learn it. I really enjoy going to his class because he incorporates interesting things with whatever the subject is are learning about; I find it very easy to understand and remember the information. His class is something I look forward to rather than dread going to everyday.  — Moriah Geier, senior

*WHARTON HIGH

Elizabeth Glover
AP Human Geography, American Government
Mrs. Glover is amazing. She is constantly going out of her way to make sure her students are succeeding. While other teachers attempt to force students to do their work and study by threatening them with difficult tests and impossible assignments, Mrs. Glover allows the learning process to unfold naturally. Instead of following a strict plan each day she allows students to control the speed of her lectures — taking the time to answer every question and even letting students discuss topics among themselves to ensure that everybody fully understands the material. Mrs. Glover gives each student the time and attention they desire and deserve. Every assignment in her class is interactive and intellectually stimulating which grabs each student’s attention and results in good grades on both report cards and AP exams. Mrs. Glover is hands-down the best teacher at Wharton High School. She doesn’t require that you read lengthy textbook passages and she doesn’t assign homework on the weekends. Her philosophy is that she doesn’t assign anything that she wouldn’t do herself. She works hard to make sure that every student does more than just memorize material for a test — she actually teaches and students actually learn. What I learned in her class during my freshman year has stuck with me all the way through to my senior year and has helped me tremendously in each of my classes since. Mrs. Glover truly deserves this award for her dedication and hard work. — Cory Goldman, senior