Dear Teachers

“Mrs. McKerracher, for all the stress and annotations we had to do :).”

-Elaudy Abreu

“I would like to give a shout out to Mrs. Rosario for always being the adult I can come to talk to and for dealing with my ridiculous attitude. Shoutout to Mrs. Shepherd, I only had you for one class my sophomore year but you will always be the role model teacher I aspire to be. Shoutout to Johnny Morris for being that crazy teacher every student needs in their life.”

-Miah Ashley

“Mr. Wilson, Thank you for supporting me during my short years at Winnetonka. I appreciate everything you have done for me. You have encouraged me to keep going and helped me reach my full potential. But most importantly, you made calculus so much less stressful.”

-Clayre Barkema

“Coach Flynn, Mrs. Green, Mrs. Fender, Coach Asquith, Mrs. Brenner, Dr. Smith “Thank you”.”

-Nathaniel Blanton

“Mr. Elam and Dr. Coffman, Thank you for always seeing my potential and bringing me out of my shell. I know it took three years, but I am so thankful for you two and everything you have done to for me. I love you both (in a North Kansas City Schools appropriate way).”

-Anna Braman

“To Mr. Elam and Mr. Johnston I can say that I’m proud to have known them and I shall forever be grateful for the lessons they have taught me about how to be a great man and to strive for the best when good isn’t good enough.”

-Dylan Chumley

“Mrs. Read she always was acting crazy but made class awesome.”

-Destiny Cooper

“Shoutout to Mrs. Caspari, you’ve been such an inspiration to me, you’ve always helped me when I needed it, and you are a very understanding person.”

-Halie Cosman

“Thank you to Luke Young for the motivation and thank you to Mrs. Caspari for helping through tough times.”

-Christina Criscione

“Shout out to Mrs. Sulzen because she helped me realize how much I love art and shout out to Mrs. Caspari because she always makes my day a better day.”

-Lara Dannenmaier

“Denny, the hall monitor was my favorite staff member at the entire school.”

-Joshua Daugherty

“Mrs. Sulzen, for having to deal with me for four years straight.”

-Matthew DeHass

“School moms, bless y’all.”

-Danielle Dodd

“Jason Elam for always pushing me to strive more and for always being there to listen to me. Jennifer Rubin for being a supportive person, helping me grow.”

-Victoria Duensing

“Shout out to all the teachers who made the worst year of my life great, you know who you are. I’ll take care of you for free when I’m a doctor.”

-Rana Ekilah

“All the FACS teachers, Dr. Smith, Mr. Johnston, the ELA department, Mr. Lowry, and Mr. Morse – thank you all for your support and advice to help me grow as a student and human being in the real world.”

-Ry-Jae Fisher

“To Elam: you really believed in me more than I believed in myself, so props to you. But honestly you are such an amazing teacher and a wonderful and supportive person to talk to. Thanks for being a great choir dad!
To O’dell: I’m so glad i got to be in one of your first classes at Tonka! Thank you for all the help you have graciously given me! I love you so much, (in an NKC schools appropriate way).
To McKerracher: You are going to be one of my favorite college professors! Thanks for everything McKraken!”

-EricaRose Hamilton

“I would like to give a shoutout to Mr. Johnston, Mrs. Caspari and Coach Flynn. I just want to say thank you for always pushing me no matter how your day was going. You guys inspired me to be myself and to to keep going no matter what is blocking my path. Nothing can stop me and I know that know thanks to you guys for being the best of the best.”

-Taylor Hellums

“All of my current and previous coaches for making me the person I am today, Mr. Johnston for being the most passionate teacher I have ever had and Mr. Davis…Go Yankees.”

-Alejandro Hernandez

“Dr. Coffman and Mr. Elam, you both push me so hard and I’m so thankful for every opportunity you’ve given me. I’ve learned so much. Thank you.”

-Ryann Hill

“Shout out to Kerri for being there for me and helping me grow in life as well as my art.”

-Lia Holman

Ian Johnston. You’re the best man, I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me, even when you don’t have to. thank you for being yourself everyday because you impact so many lives. Such a great passionate person.

-Jozi Hurt

“Mr. Johnston: You gave me a love for learning and my time in your classroom will forever live in my memory.”

-Essence Jewel

“Thank you Dr. Smith, Mrs. Hendrick, Ms. Healy.”

-Ka’Von Johnson

“Mrs. Camarda, your classes were totally “Lit”! Mrs. Green and Mr. Anderson, thank you for always taking care of me. Frau Zobrist, Sie sind meine Lieblingslehrerin! Mrs. Mcgiffin, thank you for always being open to a good discussion. Mr. Bullock, I had the most fun being a part of your Orchestra. Thank you for letting me be a part of it. Mrs. Sayre, Mrs Wilson and Mrs. Wayno, thank you all for taking care of me and putting up with my bad puns and jokes. Mrs. Butler, thank you for always being a friendly person for me to visit with. Mrs. Holwick, thank you for keeping me disciplined and steering me away from shallow thinking. Mr. Johnston, thank you for teaching such an interesting and engaging class and allowing me to explore and discuss topics related to the world around me. Carrie Marcantonio, thank you for helping me through Gold Medallion and putting up with me as a student. Mr. Asquith, Mrs. Knapp and Mr. Janzen, thank you all for letting me be a part of your classes and clubs that offered me the opportunity to explore my passion for Science. Mrs. Sexton, thank you for being my NHS sponsor and keeping me busy in your AP Lang class. Mr. Flynn, thank you for teaching me in AP Psych and sharing stories and lessons that were entertaining and eye-opening to me and applicable in my life.”

-Jerry Keeney

“Thank you to Mr. Morse for sparking my interest in math, spending a lot of hours helping in math, helping me through really tough times, the laughs, the deep conversations, and the endless amount of quotes. Thank you to Mrs. Caspari for being extremely caring and understanding. Thank you to Mr. Fish for stepping up for our engineering program and for being someone that I could go to for advice. Thank you to Hr. Hupp and Coach Lay for being cool dudes.”

-Cameron Keough

“Shout out to Mrs. Camarda,  Mrs. McGiffin, Ms. Meinke, Denny and Mr. Hackenberger, each one of you have given me some of my best memories and the most amazing support. I trust the every future Griffin will be in amazing hands as long as you’re all here. Thank you for your words of encouragement, your kindness, and every motivation in between.”

-Bailey Kleindienst

“Mrs. McKerracher! You helped inspire me by showing me that even messy extroverts like us can succeed and do what they love and change the world!”

-Bryton Koch

“Coach Young, I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me. I’ll admit, I was hesitant to join the swim team. I had my own personal issues that made me that way, however, I think joining was one of the best decisions I made. You created an atmosphere where I felt at home. Through the ups and downs, you were always there supporting me. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for you and the team. One of the most important things you have taught me throughout my four years on the team is trusting myself to do what’s best for me instead of what others think is best for me. Thank you for not only coaching me in the pool, but in life as well.”

-Taylor Mahorney

“Mrs. Butler is the best person ever. I can talk to her about anything and I’m glad she can answer my questions.” 

-Sara Martin

“I would like to thank Mrs. Rosario for being my at school mom and always making me a better person.”

-Gabriella Matthews

“Thank you to Mrs. Bulter, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Sarye for being a daily hello!! Mr Elam, Mr. Willis and Dr. Coffman for being my performance mentors and Mrs. Caspari and Mrs. Galetti for being my moms!!”

-Jessica Olive

“I would like to shout-out Mrs. Caspari for being one of the best and funnies teachers I know, Mrs. Cassity for showing me my love for photoshop and design, and Mr. Bullock for showing me love for music.”

-Jonathan Orr

“Shout-out to Ms. Rubin for being an amazing band director my final year, and to Mrs. Zobrist for always making German class a blast.”

-Dylan Osborne

“Mr. Morse thanks for believing in me and teaching me all about the joy of math! Not only were you able to make me laugh in nearly every class, but you gave incredible advice and wisdom that I will always remember. I will never forget you!”

-Kaitlyn Presko

“To Mr. Barrier for being my favorite teacher since eighth grade.”

-Gisselle Quinos

“Mr. Elam, Ms. Camarda, and Ms. Sulzen: You have been the nicest, most supportive school parents I could ask for. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me all four years of high school. I couldn’t have made it through without you!”

-Harper Ross

“The Lunch-Ladies (and gentlemen): They don’t get enough credit what they do for us. School food may be crappy but they try so hard to make it the best. Also, all the teachers I had when I first transferred.”

-Heaven Sanders

“Mr. Janzen! I appreciate you so so much! You have helped me a lot in this one short school year in human anatomy.”

-Courtney Simpson

“Thank you Mrs. Caspari, Mr. Johnston, Mrs. Marcantonio and Mrs. McGiffin for always being my motivation.”

-Riley Stephenson

“Ohh my goodness S/o to Dr.Johnson best principal ever, Mr. and Mrs. Marcantonio, Alma I will miss you (she probably won’t even know who this is), Shawn in the cafe, Mrs. Butler nicest lady ever, Dr. Smith, Brian and Denny y’all the best, Mr. Morse most valuable player, s/o to every teacher that sat through my exhibition and biggest thanks to everyone who has helped and encourage me here at Winnetonka. Y’all will be missed. Much love.”

-Nehe’miah Strother

“Mrs. Andrews, I can honestly say 100%… I would not have made [it through] high school if not for you.”

-Roxett Suarez

“Mr. Johnston!! I can’t explain how much I appreciate you as a human being. You are so unique, kind, loving, trustworthy and respectful. You’re so open with your students and bond with each and every one of us on a different level -which I love. I know I can come to you about anything and I know you’ll always support me through everything in life. I am so grateful I took your AP Human Geo class my senior year so I had the opportunity to create the bond I have with you. You’re always willing to put every problem you have aside just to put a smile on your students’ faces. You teach us so much more than what we need to pass your class or the test. You teach us how to deal with stress, go about life problems, prepare us for our future, and simply how be good people. I will miss your hilarious dad jokes, side comments, and crazy dance moves.Thank you again, so much, for being who you are and making everyone else around you happy too.”

-Cassandra VanHouten

“Shoutout to Dr. Johnson who has been a great principal this year and to Mr. Morse for being a great Calculus teacher.”

-Allison Walker

“SHOUT OUT to Mr. Elam for believing in me! SHOUT OUT to Mrs. Mckerracher for knocking me down a few notches, and getting me ready for the real world. SHOUT OUT to Shawn the lunch guy for being so ding dang awesome and bringing the 48th St players back together!”

-Kennedi Walker

“To all my coaches who pushed me to stay on top of my grades and teaching me what it means to be a man.”

-Riley Wiegers

“Ms. Andrews, Mr .Anderson, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Stevenson, Ms. Lee, Mr. Morse, Ms. Caspari; shout out to all of you guys helping me get through high school and making memories.”

-Ryan Woods

“Dr. Coffman,
Thank you, for always having my best interests at heart, inspiring my dreams, and giving me a home to grow in. I will forever cherish my time as your student and all the opportunities you gave me.”

-Kylee Zerbe

“Shout out to Mr. Johnston for literally putting his heart and soul into teaching  and being more than just a teacher to not only me, but everyone of his students. You deserve the best in life, much love!!”

-Taylor Zimmerman