June 2, 2005
Sponsored by The Greensheet and Southwest Airlines.
The Greensheet is proud to announce this year's winners in the annual
"Salute To Teachers" Essay Contest.
We are excited about sharing the winning essays. View photos of the winners in our online galleries.
What a great finale for the end of another busy school year.
Students from grades K-12 were encouraged to sing the praises of a teacher who has had a lasting impact on learning.
Over 1000 entries filled the GEF mailbox. The selection process was very difficult because many of the entries were so impressive.
This year's grand prize winners received round trip tickets for two on Southwest Airlines, our event sponsor.
Many thanks go to all students who participated and to the teachers who inspired such accolades.
Please enjoy the winning essays!
HOUSTON WINNER
My name is Shane McCarley. I attend Campbell Elementary in Sugar Land, Texas. My teacher, tutor and friend is Mrs. Pamela Brown.
She is awesome! She makes learning so much fun you forget you are in school. She not only is a role model around school, she also takes
time to come to our activities outside of school. She has even invited me to the movies and for pizza because of my extra effort. It is
actually pretty easy to put extra effort into my schoolwork when Mrs. Brown is involved. She makes us forget we are in school and makes
everything we are learning feel like a game. Her classroom makes you feel like you are dreaming. She has everything from a palm tree
with lights to a reading castle in the corner. The castle is filled with pillows and even has a real door. It is just my size to walk
through when I finish my work. There is not one inch of her classroom that is not decorated, oh yeah, except what the fire marshal made her take down.
I have never been a great student. My interests include baseball, football, swimming, snowboarding, basically anything that did not involve reading,
writing or math. Mrs. Brown has really helped me to become just as excited about reading a chapter book, writing a report or orally giving her all the
details. She is always so interested in everything we have to say. She is a great listener. I am now checking out books with lots of chapters and enjoy
reading them everyday. In the past, my mom would have to tie me to a chair to get me to read. Now I really enjoy all of the adventures I get to go on
reading a book. I have even read about some of my favorite sports heroes.
Mrs. Brown has also really helped me with my math. We don't do lessons. We play games and we always seem to learn
something at the same time. My mom was a teacher before she had me and she has told me, Mrs. Brown is by far, the best, most animated,
unbelievable, teacher she has ever seen. Mrs. Brown is constantly sending home positive notes to parents. My mom is amazed at how much
time she spends complimenting everyone on good things. In the past, my mom only heard from teachers on the bad things I did, not the good ones.
I really like that about Mrs. Brown. She focuses on the good things I do which makes me feel good about myself. She knows that we are all just
kids and there will be days when we are tired, or our dog ran away that morning, or my dad has been out of town for too many nights and I really
want him to be home. She takes all of that into consideration every day. Even when your day starts off bad you are just so happy when you see her
because you know it's going to get better. I hope and pray my little sister will get her as a teacher because she is awesome.
Love,
Shane McCarley, 4th Grade Student
Campbell Elementary, Larma C.I.S.D.
Teacher: Mrs. Pamela Brown
DALLAS / FORT WORTH WINNER
Hello my name is Kenneth and I will be telling you about my special teacher.
I had problems in regular school, and I am now in alternative school, but when I got to
this school I met Ms. Everitt. She is just extravagant. She has taught me the meaning of life
and why staying in school is the most important thing to do in life. Ms. Everitt cares for her
students as if we were her own children.
She is the reason I come to school and of course my mother makes me. Ms. Everitt
teaches me to never be afraid to fail, and if I do fail learn from my mistakes.
She inspires me to go to college and make something of myself because without an education you have no life.
Ms. Everitt is very courageous and has a heart of gold. She is the most loveable and respectful teacher you will ever meet.
Ms. Everitt is attentive and has displayed the real meaning of teacher.
The "T" is for tender showing the affection she has for her students.
The "E" is for excellent because that is what she is.
The "A" is for awesome.
The "C" is for caring because I know she will never stop caring for students.
The other "E" is for extraordinary, and
the "R" is for reality because she makes us wake up and face reality and look at the future and the real world.
Ms. Everitt is the type of teacher any child or teenager would love to have teach them.
She has made me wake up and think about my education and for that I salute her.
Kenneth Remble, 10th Grade
JJAEP - Dallas ISD
Teacher: Ms. Everitt
AUSTIN WINNER
School has always been fairly easy for me. I have never had to really think or study
hard for any of my subjects. Things just seem to come naturally to me, especially Language Arts.
Then came fourth grade and Mrs. Thomas.
Mrs. Thomas is one of those teachers that refuses to let me get by with the minimum. She refuses to let me
get by with the minimum because she knows that I can do better. Mrs. Thomas reminds me of my mom when it comes
to my school work. She always wants and expects my stellar work.
In Language Arts I am required to work outside of something my mom calls my "comfort zone." That doesn't mean that
I am uncomfortable in Mrs. Thomas' class, it means that I am required to think about what I am doing and what I am saying. I
cannot just "throw" some words or overly used phrases on a page and expect to be finished. Believe me, I
have tried. She calls those words "bad" words. Not bad words like curse words, but tired, old and worn out words
like good, bad, happy and sad.
She wants me to be the best Vallery I can be and I have continued to learn that just enough is not enough.
Even with the Salute to Teachers Contest, six sentences are just not enough. Mrs. Thomas, I salute you!
Vallery Rusu, 4th Grade
Oak Hill Elementary - Austin I.S.D.
Teacher: Mrs. Cynthia Thomas, Language Arts
PHOENIX WINNER
My teacher, Mrs. Baker, makes me feel like I know everything and I am doing a fabulous job with everything I learn.
I think my teacher enjoys teaching because she always smiles and loves questions. She teaches things from higher grade levels.
One game that is a blast is called Around the World. You start from your own seat and try to beat the other person at
the math facts. She makes learning fun and now I'm faster at math.
Mrs. Baker helped me learn about Arizona's state bird, flower, history, etc. We also go on many field trips.
I did tons of reports about Arizona's Indians. Even today we read about Arizona. Even though I was born in Washington,
I have learned to love the state I live in.
Brittany Gaffney, Age 10 - 4th grade
Red Mountain Ranch Elementary, Mesa Public Schools
Teacher: Tanya Baker
Posted by E. Early
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