Vista Ridge High School senior Ankita Rao, recognizing Eileen Delisi: "I’m still not sure what prompted Mrs. Delisi to let me into her QUEST class back in Kindergarten, but I remember QUEST being the most exciting part of my day. From Kindergarten through 5th grade, she not only taught me research and presentation skills but also showed me how to accommodate my intellectual development. The things I learned in QUEST were unlike anything I had been learning in my elementary school classrooms and even when school felt like a tedious chore, Mrs. Delisi was always there to reignite my curiosity. She gave me the gifts of organization, methodology, and confidence. She showed me how to harness my stubbornly persistent energy to build a Rube Goldberg machine, to give life to a bug made from recycled trash, to assemble a circuit board, or to create an undiscovered chemical element. None of what I did in QUEST was to satisfy someone else, and I was able to come up with my own projects to do. Mrs. Delisi created the perfect class for me that felt more like intellectual play than studying, and thus she is the reason behind all my achievements and my character."
Vista Ridge High School senior Joshua Olowoyeye, recognizing Julie Brown: "Statistics wasn’t exactly my cup of tea at the beginning of the year, despite that fact Ms. Brown managed to make the class more than just survivable but a joy to be in and a part of. She takes her job more seriously and exudes such a high regard and level of care for each child and their individual needs. Ms. Brown’s flexible mindset has shown me the importance of empathy in all things, as well as her teaching style prepping students to look out for important details and consider why we’re doing what we do. Rather than regurgitating facts and formulas, Ms. Brown emphasizes her passion for what she does everyday in her teaching. All in all Ms. Brown is not only an awesome teacher but a benevolent soul who continues to redefine what being a great teacher and most importantly and good person means."
Vista Ridge High School senior Natalie Mercado, recognizing Sarah Lowery: "Have you ever heard of a teacher who would take hours out of their weekend to go to a local coffee shop and help her students prepare for their test, write a letter of recommendation after school on a Friday for a student who needed it that day, inspire her students to pursue all their goals, have the passion and patience to teach a complicated subject, and be there to care, listen, and sincerely help each one of her students? All while juggling the weight of being a mother of two adorable children. Probably not, but to their defense, Mrs. Lowery sets the bar pretty high. She has taught me much more than integrals and derivatives, she taught me the importance of loving others and pursuing what is best for me. Mrs. Lowery is one of the most compassionate and driven teachers I have encountered in my educational career. She has impacted me to be the greatest version of myself and for that, I am thankful to have her as my teacher. A genuinely awesome person like Mrs. Lowery is hard to find unless you take BC Calculus at Vista Ridge High School."
