Once a Patriot Always a Patriot!

Well, sophomore year is a wrap! I am still waiting on final grades but it looks like the boys finished strong. That is always my mantra at the end of the year, I tell my boys and myself we can do this finish strong do the best you can do so you have no regrets. I myself did everything I could possibly do to finish the year strong for my students and Pace High. JT studied super hard and it looks like he will end up with all A's. Ty was super hard to motivate this year especially at the end of the year. The teenage angst is strong within him! LOL... He missed an A in a couple classes by one or two points simply because he did not study enough for his finals. But, as I have said before sometimes your children need to fall a bit before they rise to greatness. Hopefully my Tyler will have learned a lesson or two. Love that kid but boy does he push my buttons at times.

Today's blog is about Pace High and why I love this school. There is something special about Pace High it is different from any school I have been a part of, there is a certain sparkle and I personally think it has a lot to do with our faculty and staff. I am a realist and we have some teachers who are not the greatest however, thankfully, we have more that are outstanding.

My boys had a group of fantastic educators this year and I am going to shine some light on these fantastic, hardworking people. I am going to start with Chemistry 1 Honors and Mrs. Kathryn Byers. Mrs. Byers is sarcastic in a good way, encouraging, and vested in her students. My boys learned so much in her class and I am thankful that they had the opportunity to learn from her. Senior year they will hopefully be back in her class for Chemistry 2 Honors. James and Tyler both loved her wit and said on more than one occasion she reminded them of me. Thank you Kathryn for helping my boys grow mentally and for being patient with all of James swim competitions. Thank you for understanding that both boys are hungry all the time and allowing them to eat when they felt the need to fill their bellies. Pace High is blessed to have you as a role model and educator.

The Biotech Academy is led by Mr. Greg Gill. This academy is both challenging and informative. Tyler really enjoyed having Mr. Gill as a teacher. Tyler enjoyed the labs and all of the hands on lessons. Mr. Gill has created a tough course that requires its students to solve real life problems. Which is what all courses should be doing. James enjoyed the labs he is all about learning however at times he had a hard time with the pace of the class. The pace is not something Greg can control and this is something James will need to get a handle on. The boys at times struggled with their dyslexia in this class (lot's of writing) and memorization but they learned a tremendous amount. Thank you Greg for challenging my boys, they will be in Biotech 2 this coming school year. Greg Gill is a tremendous role model for our school as a coach and a teacher.

Spanish, both boys struggled in this class. A foreign language is tough to learn with a learning disability. Both boys studied more for this class than any other it was very challenging for them. Mrs. Corraliza is one of the sweetest and kindest teachers we have on staff. She has such patience and works tirelessly to get her students to love her language. I have to say my boys do not exactly love Spanish but they certainly have learned a tremendous amount. Thank you, Mrs. Corraliza for having such patience with my boys and working with them whenever they needed some extra help. Vilma Corraliza is a tremendous person and Pace High is blessed to have such a patient teacher.

Algebra 2 was taught by two teachers this year. Mrs. Marian Hubbard was here at the start of the year and then she made a career change to nursing. Miss Alyssa Larson took over after Mrs. Hubbard left. Marian Hubbard was such a kind spirit and my boys enjoyed having her as a teacher. She worked really hard to help her students succeed. I was super worried when she left because Math is a tough position to fill and it is hard to find qualified teachers in this field. Miss Larson came in and literally jumped in with both feet. She is one of the hardest workers I have seen at Pace High. She comes in early, works through her lunch and stays late if she has more to do. Both Tyler and James said she was an excellent teacher and they both did very well this year in Algebra 2. I am thankful that Miss Larson will be back on staff next year she is extremely dedicated to her job and I have enjoyed getting to know her.

English Honors 2 went through changes in the year. The boys began with Mrs. Elizabeth Gilroy and absolutely loved her and her teaching style. Then unfortunately due to a health crisis in her family she took a leave of absence to care for her family. Then a series of substitutes came into play and that became a nightmare for everyone (students and parents). As a mom I felt like the boys where getting behind and they missed being taught. Finally Mr. Gray (Assistant Principal in guidance and overall incredible person.) talked Mrs. Sturgeon into taking over the English Honors 2 course load. I cannot say enough about Mrs. Sturgeon she is definitely hands down one of our strongest educators. I am so thankful that the boys got to learn from her and hopefully fingers crossed they will have her again senior year. Tyler and James both enjoyed her personality and teaching style. I want to thank her for stepping in when she did not need to and for pushing her students to learn. Thank you also for allowing them to write and push themselves. I know James thoroughly enjoyed writing his "dark" stories. Also, kudos for trying to read their dyslexic writing and unscramble their penmanship. I know that chore is not fun.

For the second year in a row I taught my own children in art. This year both boys took 3D Art 2 and created many interesting pieces of pottery and sculpture. Some of their work was gorgeous and some fell flat, but that is the ups and downs of art. Success and failure are part of the learning process and it is no different in the art room. It is probably the strangest predicament to teach your own children in a high school. I was harder on them than on any other student. I always graded their projects and homework first. I wanted to make it clear to all my students that they did not get preferential treatment. I will not have them Junior year as they are loaded down with courses however Senior year I think they will be taking my AP Art course.

I cannot say enough about the quality of teaching my boys have had in the 2017-2018 school year. I am so happy they are a part of Pace High. Thank you to the staff of Pace High for helping to make my boys better men. After all,that is the goal to raise wonderful men that will become incredible members of our society. In the words of Mr. Cannon (even though he retired still attends almost every sporting, art, and music event he can) "Go Patriots"! I feel there is nothing greater than the red, white and blue!!!!