To PCS Teachers with Love
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, we wanted to take this opportunity to recognize the incredible efforts of the teachers of Providence Classical School, especially during this period of remote learning due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
So to our faculty, from your PCS family:
For all the things you do for our students…
Kasi Bachelder (Fourth Grade)
For creating and singing spelling songs for fourth graders to hear, learn, and remember. For putting together fun and engaging science experiments to help students to discover just how incredible God’s creation is, and for putting together experiment packets so that your students could continue to explore at home…
Christy Benthem (Anatomy & Physiology, Biology)
For being the queen of creative science demonstrations both for Upper and Grammar school students—demonstrating cell division by making brownies, explaining neural connections with jump ropes, and showing fifth graders how to make blood alongside your assistant, Lottie…
Bettie Berkhouse (Rhetoric II)
For coming back from retirement to teach the senior class in their final year of Rhetoric and coach them through the senior thesis. For figuring out how to do the thesis in a totally new way. For being the only teacher (so far) to teach at PCS for all 20 years…
Joy Berkhouse (Economics, Latin)
For being available after-hours to answer questions on assignments and projects. For creating PowerPoint presentations to help students continue their Latin studies, and for being willing to add additional information to lesson plans so that third graders and their parents can understand Latin…
Mark Blake (Grammar School P.E.)
For creating full-on CrossFit-style P.E. lessons and videos alongside your family so that our families can stay fit. For having a joy that’s contagious and always having a word of encouragement for your students…
Mandy Bookter (Earth Science, Logic, Computer Science)
For caring for and supporting your students by having one-on-one meetings with them, and for offering extra credit and additional learning opportunities to meet their individual needs. For being willing to do whatever it takes to help your students learn, especially under current circumstances…
Evelyn Bouley (Upper School Art)
For packaging and delivering art supplies to your students’ homes every few weeks so that they can continue to express what is good, true, and beautiful, even during a pandemic…
Sarah Bradley (Composition & Literature, Humanities)
For pushing your students to be diligent in their work as well as their faith and for encouraging them to pursue goodness and virtue as a way of bringing glory to God. For teaching them to apply the truth of great philosophers like Augustine and Aquinas to their lives. And for faithfully teaching through graduate school and morning sickness!
Randall Bryant (Composition & Literature, Humanities, Keyboarding)
For mentoring 8th grade boys with wise instruction and a sense of humor. For faithfully running House Games and weekly Chapel. For being tech support at the last minute for every senior thesis Zoom call. And for going above and beyond to make sure students understand new material and are prepared for assessments during remote learning…
Wade Butin (Grammar School Music)
For always encouraging and bringing out a love of music in your students and making all music fun! For helping to organize and run PCS concerts. For spending an enormous number of hours making sure Thesis videos were filmed and uploaded in a way that is honoring to each senior. For helping Mrs. Martin stream videos day after day after day. And for all the countless ways you serve our community behind the scenes…
Diana Cox (Grammar School Art)
For instilling in our young students an eye for beauty, a foundation in technique, and the courage to try something new. For reading library books to our youngest Paladins, bringing the written word to life through your voice, your eyes, your questions, and more. For providing art lessons that families can enjoy from home…
Stephanie Craig (First Grade)
For maintaining high standards while loving your students well. For being present and available to help your first graders take hold of reading and math concepts during remote learning. For wearing your nametag upside down just to see if your students will find it when they see you in a video chat…
Sean Dickard (Bible Survey, Theology)
For faithfully teaching the tenth graders for four years in a row, instilling in them a love of scripture. For imparting your students with the joy and ability to read scripture and make their own observations. For showing off your cooking skills virtually for House points…
Kathy Dunnack (PreK & Kindergarten Aide)
For the warmth and joy you infuse into everything you do. For cheerfully putting packets together for Pre-K and Kindergarten students. For doing a beautiful job reading and recording stories for your students – “roots and all”!
Tami Fanning (Grammar School Latin)
For being a wonderful and patient Latin teacher who explains everything in a fun and understandable way. For loving your students so much and for doing whatever you can to help them succeed and teaching them to love Latin even when it is difficult. And for being available to all your students to assist with Latin any way you can during remote learning…
Bradley Finkbeiner (Ethics, Apologetics)
For having meaningful and engaging live classes with our seniors, making the most of these last few weeks that they can learn under you. For teaching the juniors to navigate difficult issues our culture is facing using both logic and grace. You help each student to be the best version of themselves as they pursue truth…
Michael Forth (Calculus)
For teaching your students to think critically about a concept and providing an abundance of materials and lessons to ensure that they fully understand the topics they’re learning. Your dry sense of humor and genuine passion for calculus, “the math that moves,” make your class so enjoyable. You help your students get the most out of what could have been a very difficult subject…
Jennifer Foudy (Librarian)
For reading to our kiddos online and continuing to instill in them a love for good literature. For your endless patience with students and the kindness you show to everyone. For being the librarian with excellence…
James Frohlich (Hermeneutics)
For giving our students seminary-level Bible lessons and equipping them for a lifetime of exploring Scripture…
Amy Haaland (Fourth Grade)
For going all-in on Crazy Hair Day with your “quadrilateral hair.” For video chatting with students who are struggling with math and also providing additional challenges for those who need them. For planning ahead with math packets, and for great math projects along the way that were fun for the whole family…
Luisa Hernandez (Kindergarten)
For the joy and energy you bring to our school and to your classroom. For your continued spirit of being a team player and recording math lessons and morning meetings. For offering to pick up lunch for your boss!
Rebecca Howard (Latin)
For making Latin lessons fun, fun, FUN! Your personality brings joy to all your students. For bringing unbridled exuberance and enthusiasm to each class – you throw the best parties, even online! For patiently going through each and every question of homework with a student because it’s the hardest chapter and because you believe in what learning Latin does for their brain. And because you are your students’ biggest cheerleader…
Sivi Johnson (Fifth Grade)
For listening to the Declaration of Independence individually with each of your students online. For holding literature groups through Zoom so students can get excited about what they are reading through discussions. For rallying your team to do each week of remote learning with excellence! For chatting with your students about anything and everything in an effort to stay connected and be there for them…
Lesa Lawall (Pre-K)
For meeting with your students each week to hear their voices and ask them questions about their learning. For continuing to teach our littlest Paladins, even as you were meeting your newest grandchild and helping your senior daughter through her final weeks of high school, including her senior thesis! You have taught her how to love outside of herself as she advocated for the foster system…
BethAnne Lechmann (Second Grade)
For teaching remotely in the middle of the night from out of town as you awaited the birth of two new grandbabies. For desiring to teach well each and every lesson and for teaching multiplication with such zeal to your students…
Sherilyn Lewis (Third Grade)
For recording a hilarious Viking song video with Ms. Nesbit to brighten our day during social distancing. For creating the commonplace book video for our 6th graders. For knowing your students’ needs and, even through remote learning, creating avenues for students to practice exactly what they needed…
Marianne Meece (Kindergarten)
For being instrumental in bringing the Kindergarten lesson plans together each week and doing such a great job putting together the phonics videos. For not only handling remote learning, but also shepherding your senior daughter through a very different end to her senior year and thesis…
Bill Moon (Engineer Your World)
For creating an environment in which students are free to explore their interests at their own pace and have fun while doing it…
Maryanne Navickas-Martin (Grammar School Music, Upper School Choir)
For doing one-on-one voice lessons with Upper School choir students and listening to their hearts as much as their tone. For your love of each individual student and seeing their potential. For the alphabet songs and books which bring such joy to our youngest students…
Tom Neal (Chemistry, Physics)
For teaching from your PCS classroom to give your students a sense of normalcy during this difficult time. For being incredibly kind and compassionate to each student and making sure they feel truly loved. For making personal phone calls to check on a student who was feeling behind and for caring to ask about this student’s personal life…
Laryssa Nesbit (Third Grade)
For recording the Viking song video with Mrs. Lewis (seriously, you two were great!). For handling moving and remote learning all at the same time! For knowing your families well and for informing administration when you thought a family could use a phone call of encouragement…
Dawn Ontiveros (Composition & Literature, Humanities)
For graciously helping students learn to manage assignment deadlines and for making assignments simple and effective. For loving your students well and for knowing when they need a hug (even a virtual one) or a swift kick in the pants! And for taking the time to build the kind of relationship with them that allows you to do that…
Kristina Pierce (Kindergarten)
For dressing like a praying mantis in a video to show your parents just how easily a costume can be made from the supplies at home. For meeting with each of your students each week and giving them the attention they needed to continue learning. And for the way in which you joyfully promote PCS on Facebook…
Julee Pitre (PreK & Kindergarten Aide)
For reading and recording stories for your students – “roots and all”! For loving Peter Rabbit and friends as much as we do. For stepping into the role as Pre-K teacher when Mrs. LaWall was out of town…
Veronica Pope (Spanish)
For doing an amazing job keeping Spanish class interesting and interactive. For bringing in native Spanish speakers, introducing students to the cultures of both Mexico and Spain, and constantly making the class fun. For organizing fun and helpful field trips to help students practice their Spanish speaking skills and encouraging them to listen to Spanish Music or Podcasts. For finding a way to teach a Spanish cooking class remotely and offering discussion groups, even outside of school hours. And for inspiring students to take Spanish III…
Brandy Powers (Humanities, Rhetoric I)
For understanding your students’ sense of humor and for appreciating D&D. For being the “cool teacher’ who knows how teens talk and think. For letting the 10th grade boys have lunch in your room “virtually” during remote learning…
Raquel Reenders (First Grade)
For making a super slide show so your students can practice their phonograms at home. For pushing us to do better and be better for the sake of our students. For thinking through problems and brainstorming solutions with wisdom…
Carla Rossi (Algebra, Pre-Calculus)
For bringing candies to students on their birthdays and half-birthdays. For making the most valuable pound cake on the planet. For loving your students so well by praying for them faithfully and rejoicing in the growth you see in them, both personally and academically. For passing along your love for math and your love for God to your students. For making videos that make it feel as if you are doing the problems right beside your students. And for teaching your students to “think differently” and seeing and encouraging those who persevere through struggles…
Adrian Smith (Composition & Literature, Humanities)
For serving as the designated reader for any gathering – your accent and intonation/expression make books come alive for your students! For posting videos of readings from Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year about an outbreak of the plague in England so that this bit of history can come alive for students as they weather the COVID-19 pandemic today…
Madison Smith (Physical Science, Limnology, Grammar School P.E.)
For making an awesome velocity video to prepare your students for their assignments. For spicing up your lessons with videos and graphics to keep students engaged. And for the way in which you understand and relate to your students – they love you for it…
Jacie Sytsma (Sixth Grade)
For bringing candy on Fridays when we read. For making such engaging history video lessons that parents make their sixth graders wait until they are available to watch with them! For checking on your students by scheduling one-on-one video calls. For your can-do attitude that is so appreciated and breathes life into grammar school…
Brenda Vorhies (Fifth Grade)
For challenging yourself this year by learning 2 new methods of teaching: classical Christian and remote learning. For continuing to be a life-long learner. For your thoughtful planning to make sure your students understand the circulatory system with the help of Dr. Einstein, and for making science fun even through remote learning…
Carmen Watson (French)
For seeing and understanding where students need help without them having to ask you. For making French class so fun – seriously you’re the best! For handling life circumstances well when life is normal and doing a fantastic job of rising to the occasion when it gets difficult. For being our wordsmith. For meeting with students in their front lawns…
Elizabeth Wenger (Second Grade)
For engaging families with empathetic readings from Little House on the Prairie, and for doing everything possible to make remote learning easy on parents. For excelling at remote teaching while also helping your own PCS senior through her senior thesis and final weeks of school…
Jennifer White (Pre-Algebra, Algebra)
For providing excellent live and recorded math lessons, giving students an opportunity to reconnect online, and meeting with students virtually who have questions, even after school hours. For caring about the student as much as you do about them learning…
JeanAnn Wiggins (Fourth Grade)
For recording videos of reading and getting the kids excited about Voyage of the Dawn Treader and other fantastic literature. For bringing history to life through fun projects. For the wisdom you share with our school community through your teaching of scripture in teacher training, chapel, and on the blog…
Casey Wilson (Pre-Algebra, Geometry, Applied Math)
For making house calls to students to make sure they understand their math lessons. For not letting anyone say “I’m not a math person” and for always encouraging our students to love others and themselves well…
Crystal Wilson (Fifth Grade)
For writing plans for parents and students that are easy to follow and understand. For being willing to meet immediately with students to hear their scripture recitations. For continuing to hold the bar high and being gracious to your students through this process. For always exhibiting a calm and confident demeanor and for building those same qualities in your students, especially those whose first instinct is to not be calm or confident…
Matthew Wright (Sixth Grade)
For remembering that the 6A girls like to use colored pens in your class. For making math videos that put Khan Academy to shame. For having math meetings so that all could practice live with you and a few classmates. For allowing and encouraging your students eat snacks at any point during the school day. For being an amazing first-year teacher who understands your students, remains flexible, and handles remote learning like a champ…
…For these, and all the other tremendous ways in which you serve your students and families, we love you PCS teachers!
Visit the PCS Coronavirus Response page for more information on what our school is doing to partner with families during this time away from campus.
