Pekin Community High School (PCHS) Principal, Shayla Ewing shared that, “the teachers and staff are our reason to be. They are the ones who provide our students with these opportunities to be their best present and future selves.” 

It goes without saying that teachers do more than they are credited for. Teachers see their students five days a week, seven hours a day — sometimes more time than they spend with their own families. Their work goes beyond just education; these are the people fostering our future doctors, teachers, engineers, and more. They provide structure, care, and unwavering support in every aspect of their students’ lives. 

All teachers deserve to be appreciated and shown they are supported. One teacher who has had a strong impact on Alexia Martinez, a junior at PCHS, is Jessica Norris, an English and journalism teacher at PCHS. 

Martinez explained how “[Norris] is the sweetest and most understanding teacher in this school. It feels like she actually cares about her students.”

There are a multitude of ways to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, whether it’s making thank-you cards for teachers in your community or volunteering in their classrooms; it all makes a difference.

At PCHS, Teachers Appreciation Week has been expanded into Staff Appreciation week to include all staff members. Students host an entertaining spirit week as well as deliver food and gifts to each teacher’s mailbox. 

“This week is truly important to the Educators Rising members because they watch closely to see all of the many tasks and people that it takes to make a school run,” said Educators Rising Advisor Ryne Koeppel. 

Along with the spirit week, PCHS gives students the opportunity to show support for their favorite teacher through the annual Master Dragon award. This is completely student controlled; the student body nominates teachers for the honor, essentially honoring them as teacher of the year. The teacher with the most votes wins the award and is recognized in a variety of ways for their impact. 

The 2024-25 Master Dragon was Zach Budde, who received the majority of votes.

Emersyn Way, a sophomore student at PCHS, said, “having teachers that do more than just teach and actually spend the time to make their students feel seen is what makes me come to school. One that made a huge impact on me was my middle school teacher, Mr. Orrick; he truly made me value my education.”

While this week is an important time to celebrate teachers; it’s important to recognize and appreciate them year-round. Don’t make this week the only time to thank your teachers — simply saying thank you when leaving the classroom or showing you’re paying attention during class can make their day.