My educator of the year is my art teacher. Without her, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Throughout my high school career, she has constantly been supporting me and pushing me to be my best. She pushed me to enter art contests throughout my senior year and now my art is going to be published in a book and I have even received an award from Scholastic Art and Writing. Neither of which I could have done on my own. Without her support, I also wouldn’t have taken 13 art classes, one of which was A.P 2-D Art. A.P. Art is a very time-consuming and labor-intensive class; she has helped me through every step. There were even times she would stay after school with me for hours so I could finish my A.P. portfolio in time for the deadline. She finds other ways to support her students as well. She always goes to the school's plays and musicals to support the performing arts department and she also goes to her students' sports games. Even when she is insanely busy with grading and other work she still finds the time to go above and beyond for her students. She is always willing to lend a helping hand to us even when it’s not art related. I can’t count the number of times she helped me with my math work when I was struggling with it at the beginning of this year.  She has also opened her classroom as a safe space for all her students. There is always a small group of students, myself included who eat lunch in her room every day. Many of us who eat lunch in her room faced bullying when we ate with our peers in the cafeteria so her room became a safe haven for us. She has changed my life for the better throughout my time in high school and I couldn’t have done it without her.