Great Gaston County teachers and how they inspire students

More than 2,000 seniors will graduate from schools in Gaston County this year, with most of the ceremonies for public schools taking place Saturday, June 4.

The Gazette already has covered some of the ceremonies, and plans continued coverage through this week. Additional coverage, including photo galleries, can be found at GastonGazette.com.

Today, The Gazette will salute Gaston County Schools Star Teachers.

Ashbrook — Samantha Young

I first met Ms. Young in my freshman year when I decided to take yearbook. I joined the class with no experience and had no clue how to navigate the ins and outs of high school, let alone yearbook.

Now, I am about to graduate and have been the editor-in-chief for the past two years.

Ms. Young has challenged me to always do my best. She kept me on my feet when I felt like we would never be able to complete the yearbook. Yearbook brought me out of my shell and taught me so much. Creating a book that others would look back on for years to come is such a special and rewarding experience.

Don’t get me wrong, it brought its fair share of stress and long nights, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. When I wanted to give up, Ms. Young was right beside me, reminding me that we could do it. Ms. Young believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. She set big goals for me and always pushed me to achieve them.

She is someone I can always count on to talk about my dreams for the future and tell crazy cat stories to. I could never thank her enough for the impact she has had on my high school years. Without her I wouldn’t be half the person I will be when I walk across the stage in June.

- Elena High

Bessemer City High — Mary Martin

Mrs. Martin is one of the greatest influences on my life, and has been since the beginning of my freshman year at Bessemer City High. Ninth grade was a very hard year for me, mentally. Fresh into high school, still learning who I was, I struggled with anxiety and self-hate and it really showed.

I was the quiet kid who only socialized with a handful of close friends. Mrs. Martin helped me come out of my shell that year. She was always assigning group work and it forced me to socialize with people I might not have talked to normally because of my anxiety. She was there for me when I was stressing about a test or a class and always gave me advice on how to deal with that stress.

She was my teacher, but she was also a person I could go to and talk about my problems. She always helped me find a solution. I’ve dealt with insecurities, and I have lacked the confidence that I was good enough to be successful. Mrs. Martin showed me that I was good enough, and that I would do something great in the future.

She was one teacher who always pushed me to be great. She would analyze my work so that I could learn from my mistakes, and make them better. I am so grateful for her. If someone had asked me freshman year if I would be who I am now, I would have shaken my head and walked away.

She watched me grow from a quiet freshman to a confident and opinionated junior, and then to an even louder and more confident senior. She pushed me on an academic level, but she has also helped me excel as an individual, which I will carry with me throughout my future.

- Luke Hogan

Cherryville High — Emilie Pope

I have been blessed to have Ms. Pope as a teacher for several classes during my high school experience, which include English 10, Psychology and AP Psychology. I have taken a class taught by Ms. Pope for three consecutive years, with this I have witnessed how she responded to the adverse situations put on educators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking back to last year, there were several times that Ms. Pope convinced both us and herself that technology was not her strong suit. However, through perseverance and some help from technologically inclined students Ms. Pope continued to press on.

During these uncertain times, Ms. Pope’s teaching showed us that regardless of the circumstances an exceptional teacher can illuminate a group of students and allow them to grow as scholars. Along with teaching, Ms. Pope manages many clubs and activities at Cherryville High school. She is the figurehead for Cherryville’s National Honor Society, as well as a coordinator for our homecoming and graduation ceremony.

It is not wrong to say that without her, Cherryville High School would not run at the pristine level that it currently does. Finally, I would like to address the quality I admire most about Ms. Pope, which is her ability to accommodate her students and to create an environment which is inviting to a range of student archetypes.

On several occasions I have seen Ms. Pope modify her style of teaching to allow students to learn. It is an educator’s purpose to enrich the learning experience of their students. Ms. Pope excels in this regard.

- Jackson Owens

Stuart Cramer - Chris Detweiler

My dad, Chris Detweiler, is the teacher at my school who inspires me the most. He is an influential teacher and coach, not just to his students and players, but also to his own kids. I was in three of his science classes.

It was definitely odd to have my dad as my teacher, but it made me realize how good of a teacher he is. My father constantly motivates me to do better in school, athletics, and life in general. He has taught me how to be hardworking and represents someone who is hardworking, too.

All throughout the year, he is doing something productive, even during the summer. Since I was in eighth grade, he would always ask if I needed to go work on softball. Just because of him pushing me to be better almost every day is how I improved so much. It wasn’t just the sport of softball he helped me with, but he also tried helping with basketball and tennis.

Every time that I would ask for help, he never said no or said that he was busy and always tried to make time for me.

My dad is a big believer in doing well in high school and college. He is also the type of parent to get mad that I got an 89 in one class. But really, the difference between getting a B or an A in a class can sometimes be big.

I am thankful that he has pushed me even when I found it annoying. But overall, my dad has really influenced me to become hardworking, and to succeed academically and athletically.

- Andrea Detweiler

East Gaston — Michael Kaufman

It is rare that you get to have a teacher for four classes. I had the privilege of learning math, precalculus, calculus and statistics from Mr. Kaufman. This means he has gotten to know the awkward freshman version of me, the overwhelmed junior, and the mellowed (kind of) senior.

Mr. Kaufman was the most intimidating person I met when I walked into math class as a freshman. He takes teaching very seriously, and does not tolerate tomfoolery. It was the first time I had to be pushed to work hard in a class. Not only was I challenged, I looked forward to it. We were constantly playing Jeopardy review games and learning in a way that made math make sense.

Once I pursued the more rigorous math courses, I found a version of Mr. Kaufman who was just as excellent a teacher, but also one who started to shed the stern exterior and joke around with our class. He was always finding ways to make Calc and Stats more fun, whether it was making us a class playlist or letting us work outside. Being a great teacher is an achievement, but Mr. Kaufman also is an exceptional person.

He cares about his students. He has a little space in his room where students can take a pack of ramen noodles or a bag of fruit snacks with a sign that says “take what you need, no questions asked.” He shares excitement over the students accomplishments, and goes above and beyond when you need help understanding a topic.

There are so many more examples I could give to show how Mr. Kaufman has impacted my high school career, but I will share my favorite. He lets every student who gets an ‘A’ in an AP class paint a board for him to put on his classroom wall to remember us by. I will always remember him as the best teacher I ever had, and a positive impact on my high school years.

- Allie Grice

Forestview — Lindsay Dickerson Beverly

Mrs. Dickerson Beverly values connection to her students. Going into her English class, I was not expecting anything out of the ordinary. However, this class was something out of the ordinary because “Mrs. DB,” as we call her is not an ordinary teacher.

It was evident how she cared about students’ growth in English but more importantly in life. Multiple times I went to her, not for English tips or grammatical improvements, but for advice and just to talk. Every time she was engaged and listened to what I had to say. From tearing my ACL to different scholarships, it felt as if I could always go to her with anything.

What I needed to hear was exactly what she said. I know every student who has had her knows they have a teacher rooting for them and someone in their corner. This support, especially in a time as stressful as the fall of senior year is untouched.

Having her as a teacher has changed the way I view teaching and leadership. She has taught me that a leader has to be approachable and needs to listen in order to be the best teacher and/or leader possible.

- Evan Friday

Virtual Academy — Donna Griffith

When I was going into fifth grade, I was both extremely nervous and excited because I thought I knew everything.

Fifth grade is the last year of elementary school and, for an anxious kid, having a good teacher to teach them to be more confident in themselves and how to handle middle school is an important job. She was not just my teacher, but a support system for all 30 kids that she would have in her class at a time.

She comforted me when I thought a tornado was going to take me away when we were learning about cold fronts, and she let us play on the little kid playground because it was much more fun than running around in the grass.

Fifth grade seems like an insignificant grade, but kids notice when their teachers care, and Mrs. Griffith, without a doubt, did care about her students.

- Kortney Hawkins

Gaston Early College — Lauren Dixon

From the first day of my freshman year, Ms. Dixon has proven to be one of the sweetest and most caring people I have ever met. Each and every day, she goes out of her way to show her students that she genuinely cares and loves the opportunity to teach at such a unique school.

I have vivid memories of Ms. Dixon delivering students’ invitations each year to join Beta Club and giving the biggest congratulatory hugs possible. After two years of watching that process, I finally began to make my academics a priority with the hopes of someday joining Beta Club and making Ms. Dixon proud.

That same year, Ms. Dixon was my biology teacher, where she helped establish my love for science. While I did work hard, Ms. Dixon’s passion and love of science is what made me do so well, and that same year she presented me with my first award, The Darwin Award.

She has had such a profound impact on my life as her encouragement gave me the confidence to compete and qualify for the state science fair. Ms. Dixon doesn’t just teach biology, she teaches students that passion and love for what you do is the true definition of success.

- Joey Wittmer

Highland — Dan Froehlich

Mr. Froehlich has taught me so much about real life that I wouldn’t have ever learned anywhere else. Credit cards, insurance, and stocks are all things that are coming up in his students’ lives.

He is dedicated to teaching his students information that will help us in our personal and professional lives, as well as prepare us for our future careers and further education.

Mr. Froehlich is always there for his students, whether they need to borrow a suit and tie, or need extra help understanding academic material. Taking his classes has made me realize my interest for business and finance and has helped me solidify my choice to go to college and study business for the next four years.

Mr. Froehlich makes even the most boring topics, like taxes, interesting to learn about, and even answers all of our outlandish hypothetical questions. By the way, burning your own house down to get insurance money is not a good idea. The engagement and relationships that he has with his students makes being in his classroom something that I look forward to every day. Thank you, Mr. Froehlich, for being someone that I look up to for advice and career planning, and for making me feel like I could come to you if I ever needed anything.

- Alyssa Manus

Hunter Huss — Carrie Baskett

After my seventh grade English class, English and writing became my strong suits, although I never really enjoyed them. I was determined to find my love for English and Mrs. Baskett led me there.

Mrs. Baskett has always been a positive influence and I’ve never seen her without a smile on her face. I can’t tell you how many times I was feeling down or unmotivated until I stepped into her classroom, knowing that there was a routine to ground me. She gave me the independence that I loved, while also providing me with support if I needed it.

I took 11th and 12th grade English with Mrs. Baskett, along with women’s literature, and fell even more in love with writing and research. In women’s literature, we had to choose a book written by a female author and then choose a quote that spoke to us each day and elaborate on it. It allowed for personal connections and exploration of my own imagination. Over the semester, I learned a lot about myself because of the way she pushed me to place myself in a story, to become the heroine, and follow the storyline in my own life.

Not only have I been inspired by her as a teacher, but I am continually impressed by her dedication as a mother, who has raised her daughter with more confidence and strength than I’ve ever seen in an 8-year-old. Through coaching Ava on a swim team, I have seen the proof of Mrs. Baskett’s positive, loving support and their impact beyond the classroom. She has instilled optimism and courage in me from the day I met her.

- Allison Kimmel

North Gaston — Calvin Arrowood

I never imagined when I signed up for project management that I would be finding what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Mr. Arrowood has been an instrumental part of my life since my freshman year, when I joined Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Having a teacher who is consistently happy to be at school, prepared for the day, and loves what he is teaching is one of the best experiences that has stuck with me throughout my high school years.

Every morning, Mr. Arrowood allows his students to get breakfast, even if they are late because he doesn’t want them to go hungry. He has a supply closet for drinks and snacks if you completely miss breakfast time, all you have to do is ask. For example, the other day, a kid walked in that did not have a mask and he was happy to give one to him. He is consistently willing to help, more so than we know.

He encourages us to be our best selves and to try our hardest even when we don’t want to. In project management, we are taught that a leader and a manager are two different people with two different skill sets. A leader will encourage you to be your best. A manager is who is in control and plays no games when getting the deliverable done. I have been lucky enough to have Mr. Arrowood, who possesses the qualities of both.

- Libby Shaw

South Point — Karmen Teague

In my first year at South Point High School, I was in a class made up of mostly sophomores, and then me, a freshman. Whenever we had free time in that class, I began to realize that their conversations were often about Mrs. Teague’s AP Prep English class.

Mrs. Teague’s teaching style and engagement with her students made me genuinely enjoy English, and I found I enjoyed writing even more. Looking back, her teaching benefitted me throughout my academic career. After implementing Mrs. Teague’s writing tips, the lifelong skill of writing started coming easier for me in other classes and outside of school. By senior year, I began considering Mrs. Teague not only a teacher but a mentor.

I came to her several times for her guidance throughout my college application process, and she was kind enough to read over my college essay. Not feeling confident about the quality of it, I would not have been surprised if Mrs. Teague pointed me in a different direction.

However, her impressed reaction and helpful tips gave me the assurance I needed to feel ready to submit my applications. Mrs. Teague has consistently been encouraging, compassionate, and generous with her time. She has been an adviser to me in more ways than one, and somebody I can count on.

- Caroline Beaty

Webb Street - Christine Tileston

Ms. Tileston has been one of my favorite transition teachers during my time at Webb Street School. Ms. Tileston always greets me with a great big smile and encourages me to do my very best in everything that I do.

Ms. Tileston helped me learn how to get ready for a job and follow a schedule. Ms. Tileston liked all of the drawings I made and let me share them with all of my friends. Thank you, Ms. Tileston, for being my Star Teacher.

- Isaac Simpson

You can reach Kevin Ellis at 704-201-7016 or email him at kellis@gastongazette.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County teachers and how they inspire students