Teachers have a big impact on students’ lives, and the teachers here at Northwood are no exception. It is safe to say that Dr. Victoria Raymond, Mr. Phil Cox and Ms. Carol Bartholf are all teachers who have had an impact on the students they taught. Since word began to spread about these teachers’ retirement, students have expressed sadness in seeing these teachers go and are reflecting on some of their memories with their teachers.
“I think that it is clear that Dr. Raymond loves teaching and this is reflected in the classroom,” sophomore Rebekah Mann said.
Not only did these teachers show passion in their work, but students could feel the passion these teachers displayed and that made the classes much more enjoyable.
“I liked when Mr. Cox would bring us outside into nature so we could see what we were learning about in class,” sophomore Shane Chubb said about Mr.Cox’s Earth and Environmental Science class.
The interactive nature of these teachers’ teaching allowed the students to have a very positive learning environment. Many students agreed that both Cox and Raymond have not only had a positive impact on their high school career, but that their legacies will continue to affect their lives after Northwood.
“Dr. Raymond did a great job preparing us for college and the real world,” sophomore Shane Bright said about Dr. Raymond’s biology class.
For other students, these teachers made them feel much more comfortable about high school as a whole.
“Since it was one of the first classes I took here, he [Mr. Cox] did a good job preparing me for my next science class and my time here at Northwood,” Chubb said.
Not only do students share a passion about their teachers and the subjects they teach but the teachers do, as well. Dr. Raymond and Mr. Cox shared their reflections with The Omniscient on their favorite part of being a teacher and about working with their colleagues.
“The staff here is absolutely amazing, we have some great folks; that is why I originally came here because I wanted to be apart of the faculty. And then I spent a few years trying to pull him [Mr. Cox] on [the staff here],” Dr. Raymond said.
Mr. Cox agrees with Dr. Raymond.
“I enjoy when the kids have that ‘Ooo Ahh’ moment, and they’re like, ‘Oh! That’s how that works!’ Or, ‘Oh that is really cool!’ That is just something that warms the cockles of my heart,” Mr.Cox said.
Both teachers share this same satisfaction of having their students love and develop an understanding of science the way they do.
“When you get those moments when kids join you in how cool everything is that you talk about– it’s magical,” Dr. Raymond said.
Students and staff have been wondering if there are any teachers already lined up for next year to take these veteran teachers’ places.
Another question left to be answered is: Who is going to teach the high-level AP courses next year?
“I was looking forward to taking AP Bio with Dr. Raymond because she teaches differently than other teachers I have had and her teaching style matches up with the way I learn, making that class very enjoyable to me ” sophomore Valerie Scull said.
From the looks of it, there are yet to be any teachers that have taken on one of the new AP science teacher roles.
“We will have to see what the new teachers will be able to offer in terms of AP courses but there are also some teachers that have been waiting to teach AP classes that will now have the chance to,” Walston said.
For now, we will just have to wait and see until the skills of the new teachers can be assessed and go from there.
When interviewed, all of the retiring teachers included a final statement as to what they would like their students and the school to know.
“My epitaph will say, ‘She loved gradients and graphs.’ Anyone who has ever been in a physics class will understand what the phrase means,” Dr. Raymond said.
“I have a passion for earth science,” Mr. Cox said.
Another teacher NHS will be losing is the long term Exceptional Children’s (EC) teacher, Ms. Bartholf. Having taught here for 22 years, she is very well acquainted with the school and its students.
“All of the students here have always been really nice and accepting [towards the EC students] and they are just the best,” Ms.Barthalf said
One thing many Northwood students don’t know is, what does an EC teacher do, exactly?
“I teach basic life skills classes, English, writing, Science and Social Studies,” Ms. Bartholf said.
Ms. Barthalf also included a final statement about her time at NHS.
“When I think about Northwood I think about the students and how amazing and accepting they are.”
Because Ms. Bartholf, Dr. Raymond and Mr. Cox have taught here for so long, they have been able to make an impact on many Northwood alumni and current students.
“It will be hard to replace these teachers because they are all great teachers here at Northwood,” Principal Bradford Walston said. “Yes, there are definitely some good candidates to take on their positions.”
Overall, all of these teachers will be greatly missed. While they are leaving the school, the impact they had on their students will never retire.
– By Reese Cantrell
