THIS THANKSGIVING, ORANGE COUNTY Catholic School students are thankful for teachers who go above the call of duty in and out of the classroom. Just ask Cristo Rey High School freshman Jacob D., who wanted to celebrate his English teacher for the holiday.
“The confidence and smiles Mrs. Machado-Browne brings to every student she teaches is the real reason we are so grateful,” shared. “Even a little, ‘You can do it’ lightens up people’s days and she gives us words of encouragement every class. It’s an honor to be one of her students.”
As Catholics give thanks this Thanksgiving, meet seven teachers who students can’t help but be thankful for.
MATER DEI ENGLISH TEACHER, DENISE JOHNSON
“I love having Mrs. Johnson as my English teacher because she has a creative way of teaching. For example, when reading Shakespeare, she has us take turns playing characters. Shakespeare can be pretty hard to get through, and she makes it feel so modern. She’s also very generous with her time.” — student Mia Rodrigues
TEACHER DENISE JOHNSON OF MATER DEI HIGH SCHOOL. PHOTO COURTESY OF OC CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
SERVITE SCIENCE TEACHER, LAURA DICRISI
“I’m very thankful for Mrs. DiCrisi. Ever since my sophomore year, she has been such a great role model and person to match my values with. She is one of the most caring people I have met and genuinely seems happy to teach and spend time with us. Mrs. DiCrisi has been a second mother to me and my friends, and whenever we have an issue we need help with, we always know who to go to.” — student Luke Sorensen
SANTA MARGARITA PERCUSSION ADVISOR AND AP MUSIC THEORY TEACHER, AMANDA DUNCAN
“I love all kinds of music and I’m very interested in it, both as a school subject and a hobby. I am grateful for Ms. Duncan who has taught me a lot about drums and other percussion instruments. Our school band went to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings this past summer, and Ms. Duncan was helpful to all of us on the trip. She is also patient and a great resource to me with my academics and my study habits. Ms. Duncan is a positive influence in my life.” — student Cielle Peloquin
TEACHER AMANDA DUNCAN OF SANTA MARGARITA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL. PHOTO COURTESY OF SANTA MARGARITA CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
ROSARY ACADEMY FRENCH TEACHER KIRSTEN NEUMANN ADDRESSES STUDENTS IN HER CLASSROOM. PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSARY ACADEMY
ROSARY ACADEMY FRENCH TEACHER, KIRSTEN NEUMANN
“I am very grateful for Madame Neumann because she has always been such dedicated teacher, not only teaching us a new language but making sure we appreciate the culture and history that comes with it. Her teaching is always very involved with the students and a class never goes by where she doesn’t make us smile and laugh. I am on the course to take AP French and have never felt more prepared than with Madame. Being in Honors French III and having her the last two years, she has grown my love for language tremendously!” — student Gianna Sorensen
SERRA FIRST AND THIRD GRADE TEACHER, JODI HOWARD
“Last year, Miss Howard helped me in my ELA and math classes. She is super nice and helps you get better without pushing too much. She really helped me know that I could do the hard things without stressing me out. We even had some extra time in class and she let us make friendship bracelets to trade with each other. Class was always fun and I felt like I was getting better in the places where had a hard time. Her kindness made a huge difference in helping me understand the work. I couldn’t be happier to have had Miss Howard as a teacher and still am so excited to see her at school every day! — student Gwendolyn Treadway
TEACHER JODI HOWARD OF ST. SERRA CATHOLIC SCHOOL. PHOTO COURTESY OF OC CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
CRISTO REY ENGLISH TEACHER LAURA MACHADO-BROWNE WITH HER STUDENT JACOB. D. PHOTO BY MIKE VULPO
CRISTO REY ORANGE COUNTY ENGLISH TEACHER, LAURA MACHADO-BROWNE
“We are grateful for Mrs. Machado-Browne because she is an amazing teacher. She wants to see us succeed just as all the Cristo Rey Orange County staff do. She helps us when we don’t understand questions and goes through it with us so we can better understand it. Her style of teaching is super helpful. It really helps us understand what we’re learning, and she can make it fun as well. That’s why Mrs. Machado-Browne is an amazing teacher; she incorporates fun into her lessons while making them educational so more students can understand what we are learning about.” — Student Jacob D.