This school year has been one of adjusting. Everyone, staff and students, had to be open-minded , and flexible when it came to simple elements of ordinary education. Things such as routine, school hours, and mask regulation, all had been tweaked to match the flow of Covid-19 cases. 

Though this school year had been a little unpredictable, many teachers were still able to look back and come up with countless enjoyable memories that they had revolving throughout the 2021-2022 school year.

Not all teachers were able to be interviewed, but five teachers were selected to tell their favorite memory from this school year. 

Chris McComb, principal of Imagine Prep Surprise, revolved his story around this year’s homecoming.

“Homecoming at Uptown, the Football team’s State Championship win, Prom and Senior Sunrise were super special, and the Art show coming back after two years was amazing just to name a few. But, my absolute favorite or most memorable experiences happen in the hallways between classes and during lunches when I help to supervise the backfield . This is where I get to interact with students. This is when students share with me their school and life experiences. What they are excited about or hopeful for. These are the moments that are most special to me and I will never take them for granted again,” McComb said.

Amy Boven, a guidance counselor at Imagine Prep Surprise, talked about when Rachel Kelley and herself took student counsel to the Suns’ Arena. 

“The thing that stands out to me the most is when Ms. Kelley and I took the middle school student council to the basketball area (Phoenix Suns). Mrs. Kelley and I got to play Bump Out on the court and it was really fun. Especially because both of us are really bad at basketball. But doing that with the students was really fun too,” Boven said.

Gia Lowell, a teacher, and sponsor for NHS and NJHS, wrote about the Grinch breakfast. 

“Probably, our first-ever  Grinch breakfast; it went really well. It was chaotic because our breakers went off and we couldn’t make pancakes. But our team helped so much to fix it. Everything went smooth after, and everyone shined. Everyone really helped out and it felt amazing to see how everyone worked together. They all did amazing,” Lowell said.

Rachel Kelley, a middle school English teacher, talked about a field trip she took the middle schoolers on. 

“Taking the sixth graders to BizTown. What made it special is kids got to learn how to be an adult all quarter and then got to live out what they have learned. It was especially fun because we weren’t able to go last year because of Covid. A lot of different kids got together even through their different backgrounds. What was special was all the kids paid off their loans which never happened before,” Kelley said.

Blair Valone, a substitute teacher, and former history teacher spoke about her return to Imagine Prep.

“Probably the first day I came back as a substitute teacher (A month into the school year), everyone seemed so happy to see me. It felt quite warm and nice to see students (Some of which I didn’t teach) seemed really happy to see me as much as I missed them,” Valone said.

Wrapping up the school year, I hope everyone has a wonderful summer and whether they are graduating or not, I wish them well.