I’d like to talk about Mrs. DeCoursey’s qualities, why she’s an amazing teacher, and how she has impacted me personally. I met Mrs DeCoursey my sophomore year for Spanish 3X. When I first walked in her classroom she had a bright smile on her face and she instantly greeted me and made me feel so welcomed. As the year went on I started needing more and more help in Spanish and Mrs DeCoursey was always more than willing to help me. She never made me feel dumb or incompetent, she was patient with me and she made Spanish so enjoyable for me. We began to get closer and closer as the year went on and I’m just so grateful that she opened up to me. After sophomore year ended, I invited Mrs DeCoursey to some of my club soccer games over the summer and she came to some of them! Seeing her at the games was so encouraging and she just makes me feel so loved and supported everyday and I’m so blessed that she’s a part of my life. My mom also connected with her cause they both have cats and Mrs DeCoursey has become a good friend of my family! This year as a junior I became a student helper for Mrs DeCoursey and it’s been so amazing for me. She also came to some of my high school soccer games and seeing her in the stands just made me really emotional cause I’m just lucky to have a teacher and a mentor like her in life that truly loves and supports me like her. I got the privilege to honor Mrs. DeCoursey on teacher appreciation night and it was just so amazing to be able to reflect on the impact she’s had on my life and honor her for her kindness, hard work and just her as a person. My junior year has also been really tough for me, I won’t go into all of the details on why, but I’ve been dealing with a lot of mental health issues and struggles. Even when I was upset, Mrs. DeCoursey found ways to brighten up my day and make me smile. She’s always there for me and me and I can talk to her about anything without being judged. During the darkest times of my struggle she was there for me when it felt like no one else was and I don’t know where I’d be without her. Some days were worse than others, even when I was struggling to the point of tears she’d comfort me and talk things out with me. I just feel so safe and comfortable around her and I’m doing a lot better now with my mental health and she’s a huge reason why. I look up to her a lot, she’s a huge role model for me, she’s such a hard worker and always goes above and beyond for her students and coworkers. She makes Spanish fun through unique games like taco tuesday and she always makes sure that students understand the material. She really gets to know all of her students individually and makes them feel known and loved. If she sees that someone seems to be down or upset she always checks on them and helps as best she can. Something unique about Mrs. DeCoursey is how she connects with so many students from different backgrounds. Her being bilingual allows her to connect with spanish speakers and english speakers and because of this and her wonderful personality, she has many students that love and adore her like me. She is truly so loving and she’s taught me that it’s important to love others despite our differences. I want to be like her as I get older, she just inspires me to be a better person. She’s taught me that it’s ok to make mistakes, we just have to use them to better ourselves and to grow. It’s hard to find all of the right words when talking about Mrs. DeCoursey because she is just so amazing. I have the privilege of being her student helper so we get to spend a lot of time together and it’s been amazing for me because it’s the best part of my day every day. School is tough, but she makes it worth it and I always look forward to spending time with her. I love helping her out in any way I can whether it’s passing out papers, cleaning off the desks or just being there to support her. I treasure our relationship so much, it means the world to me. We share candy together, she shares music with me, we talk about our cats and so much more! She’s had such a positive impact on my life and I’m forever in her debt. I’m so blessed that I’ve been able to grow such a loving, supportive and fun relationship with her and I hope that she is recognized for all that she does. Even if she doesn’t win this award she is number one in my heart. Thank you Mrs. DeCoursey for all that you do for me, you have changed my life for the better, you have helped me out of a dark place in my life and I love you.