Rouse High School senior Cierra George, recognizing Melissa Helbert: “Saying that Mrs. Helbert changed my life is an understatement. From a young age, I was always looking to the stars, wondering what was beyond the earth’s atmosphere. I loved space, and always had a curiosity for rocketry and extraplanetary vehicles. However, I was also the kid that hated math, dreading walking into class every day. The intense math foundation of aerospace engineering scared me and contributed to my previous plan of majoring in international relations. But, after taking Pre-AP Pre-Calculus and AP Calculus AB with Mrs. Helbert, I discovered my love for math. Mrs. Helbert always goes out of her way to explain the real-world applications of calculus and what to look out for in college calculus classes. In every unit or so, I would hear the words, ‘And for you engineering majors...’ and perk up, excited to hear the advice she would give. Mrs. Helbert is part of the reason I decided to major in aerospace engineering, her class making me more comfortable with math. AP Calculus with Mrs. Helbert made the world of numbers make sense to me, leading me to discover the world beyond the stars.”
Rouse High School senior Nicole Quiroa, recognizing Ashlee Pope: “I selected Mrs. Pope, not only for helping me out, but for believing in me. She is the most dedicated woman when it comes to helping her students at Rouse High School - helping me with not only my grades, but my college applications. She made me strive and believe in what I wanted and what I thought was best for me, guiding me in the right path. Without her help I would not be accepted into a college and have the confidence I have now. Mrs. Pope really showed me to be an independent young lady, to have hope and to always have my head up, no matter what I come across to. A dedicated woman, I appreciate her for all the things she has done for me and helped me out in.”
