Here at Taft High School, teachers of all subjects are able to have the chance to be highlighted by students in our Yearbook! From the most “chillest” teacher to being an overall superstar, the voting of teacher superlatives is a fun and creative way to illuminate the personalities and qualities that their students believe they embody. Since Yearbook tallied the votes, we wanted to talk to the teachers!

Most Likely To Win Jeopardy: Mr. Derry

Students call him the “ Einstein of Now,” Mr. Derry is a teacher with a great sense of humor that is able to create a fun learning environment. I asked him how he felt about winning teacher superlative for most likely to win Jeopardy and he said that he’s “not surprised. The students are recognizing the reality that I am smart. One student told me that they should replace Google search with derry search. “ There is no doubt that Mr. Derry is a very smart man that enjoys pacing in his free time.

Most Inspiring: Mr. Wilf

Mr. Wilf always takes the chance to share wise words and pieces of literature with his students. I asked him how he felt about being voted the most inspiring and with a smile, he replied, “ It was a nice surprise. Sometimes teaching is a lonely profession so that was nice. To me, winning this means that the ideas and books I share are meaningful and that’s a good thing.” Mr. Wilf, outside of school, enjoys movies, reading, of course, traveling with family to different places, riding his bike, and cooking.

Most Likely to Brighten Up Your Day: Ms. Dormizzi

We all know Ms. Dormizzi from her sweet and enthusiastic nature that she shares with the students and staff at Taft. It really was no surprise that she was voted “Most Likely to Brighten up your day.” I had asked Ms. Dormizzi how she felt about winning this teacher superlative and she said, “I love it! I’m so excited and happy. It really meant a lot to me. It meant that it’s a compliment for my students because they notice that I try to brighten up their day and they appreciate it.” Like many of the students and the teachers, we always want to learn new things about one another. When I asked Ms. Dormizzi what are some of her favorite hobbies, she was able to relate to most students when she said, “Netflix and chocolate.”

Most Likely To Give Weekend Homework: Ms. Kissen

You may know her from her sarcastic yet enjoyable personality. Ms. Kissen always tries to do what is best and most helpful for her students. I asked Ms. Kissen on what her thoughts were about winning this superlative and she said, “ It’s absurd! I do everything in my power to make sure my students do not have homework on the weekends. If they do have homework, they probably had a project and they didn’t use their time wisely.” Many of Ms. Kissen’s students are aware that Ms. Kissen rarely gives out homework on the weekend and tries to give us “as much class time we need.” So that leaves us with two questions, Was this all just payback for them not doing their homework for a week or was this all just simply a friendly joke? Ms. Kissen has many other hobbies than not giving her students weekend homework. She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

Most Likely to Win A Rap Battle: Mr. Valerio

Mr. Valerio is a teacher that is able to make students laugh at the top of their lungs. . Being able to see Mr. Valerio win a rap battle is definitely one thing that students would enjoy. Mr. Valerio expressed his thoughts on winning this teacher superlative when saying, “I’m a winner so I’m used to it. It’s actually a great compliment to know that you’re visible. Deep inside, all my students love me but they just hate the work, so winning this rap battle was a conspiracy.” Outside of being a teacher, Mr. Valerio is a Lego collector, comic-con fanatic, WWII history expert, and a chess champion.

Most Likely to be Called Mom: Madame Bradford

Madame Bradford is a kind and caring french teacher who students feel as though she is most likely to be called mom. I asked her how she felt about winning this teacher superlative and she said “I feel honored that the students appreciate my role here. I love what I do and I love my students.”

Best Fashion: Ms. Murphy

Her colorful shirts and her peter pan collars, Ms. Murphy is known on campus for her creative and fashionable style. She expressed her feelings on winning best style by saying, “I feel very stylish. I thought students would be impacted by my words and my important lessons, but no, it will be for my colorful dresses. It feels like I finally have a name for myself.” (obvious sarcasm)Outside of her stylish dresses and important lessons, Ms. Murphy enjoys reading, traveling, cooking, and yoga.

Overall Superstar: Mr. Tucker

There is never a dull moment with Mr. Tucker. Every class period is filled with his jokes and his energetic personality. I had the chance to ask Mr. Tucker how he felt about winning this superlative and he said, “ I come to work every day and try to do the best I can. It’s what I do. I don’t think about superlatives. I must be doing something right, I love teaching my students. I try to get to know some of these children, I just try to motivate them.” During this whole interview, Mr. Tucker was cracking jokes with his students and asking them his own questions. Laughter was in the atmosphere. Mr. Tucker was able to share some hobbies with me that he enjoyed such as golf, reading, “ Being an expert at Scrabble and Monopoly”, as well as traveling to Palm Springs.

Dynamic Duo: Ms. Kissen and Ms. Herman

We always see them talking and laughing in the hallways and cracking jokes to each other. When I asked how they felt about winning this superlative, they said, “Its an honor. I love it because we really work hard to make the transition from my (Ms. Kissen) classroom to her (Ms. Herman) classroom easier. It just means we have an impact on their lives and it’s worth it.” Ms. Kissen and Ms. Herman enjoy going to parties together and they were able to go to prom together too!

Chillest Teacher: Ms. Herman

Ms. Herman is a very relatable teacher. She is able to connect with her students as well as teach them. Ms. Herman said that she was “chill with winning the chillest teacher. Winning this meant that even though we do do a lot of hard work, it’s nice to know it doesn’t affect the relationships I have with my students. I feel as if I am very close with my students, and before, that was questionable.” Aside from bonding with her students, Ms. Herman enjoys running, book club, and gardening.