Throughout my four years at Notre Dame, the most valuable portion of my NDA education has been my teachers. There are a lot of unique things about NDA— access to a Catholic education, a strong sense of community, and a plethora of unique events—but what sets Notre Dame apart is its teachers. 

Teachers at Notre Dame are some of the most supporting, caring, and passionate people I know. As I approach the end of my time here, I wanted to hijack a Tritonian article to thank my teachers. 

• Thank you to Mrs. Gretzinger who has been my study hall teacher for the last semester. She has never failed to start my morning off right with jokes, candy, or just words of encouragement. She is a light, and I only wish she had come to Notre Dame sooner, but I am grateful for the time I had with her. 
• Thank you to Mr. Guyette who has been my math teacher for the past two years. He has taught me how to look at problems in a new way, and not just in math. He never fails to make class entertaining with his jokes and to support his students endlessly. 
• Thank you to Mrs. Thillman who has been my English teacher for the past two years and also one of the Writers’ Union moderators. She has helped me become a better writer and gain appreciation for literature I did not expect to like. Her patience and openness to creativity allowed her students to work on …interesting… projects, no matter what types of grains their writing may include. 
• Thank you to Mr. Stary who has been my history teacher for the past two years. His vast breadth of history knowledge, and his range of accents, always makes class lively. Behind his sarcasm is always good intentions and care for his students. 
• Thank you to Mrs. Corriveau whom I had for two years of chemistry and also two years as an advisory teacher. She instilled in me a love of science, as she does with many of her students, and has also provided me with a great advisory experience. She is the epitome of a “woman in STEM,” and inspires so many students. 
• Thank you to Mrs. Nelson who has been my physics teacher this past year. Although it’s not my strongest subject, she always makes a fun class and laughs with her students. She is kind and patient and getting to have her as a teacher makes the difficult parts of physics worth it. 
• Thank you to Doctora who was my Spanish teacher for the past two years. Not only has she taught me so much about the language of Spanish, but her focus on non-cognitive skills and making room for time to pause has added a much-needed balance. It is because of her that I have been able to improve on my Spanish and also my “confianza.” 
• Thank you to Mrs. Mayer who was my biology teacher for the past two years. She always provided a space to dive into the topics I was interested in and gave me hands-on experiences I am ever grateful for. She is kind and patient with her students and always willing to explain new topics in depth. 
• Thank you to Mrs. Brown who has not only been my advanced journalism teacher but also a moderator for Writers’ Union. She has somehow put up with me in this class and my often late deadlines and articles like this one. She cares for her students deeply, whether through her kind words or her pans and pans of brownies. I am very grateful to have gotten to have Mrs. Brown the past four years, whether as an English teacher, a club moderator, or a journalism teacher. 

Of all the special things at Notre Dame, the teachers are truly the most special. These are just the teachers I have had in my regular schedule the past two years, but each and every teacher at NDA has had an impact on my life and the lives of my peers. I think if I were to write as much as I wanted about each teacher, the aforementioned Mrs. Brown would not be willing to put up with me anymore. I hope that the underclassmen at NDA cherish the time they have with their teachers, for it is something that truly sets our school apart.