I signed up for honors chemistry on a whim. I had practically zero interest in science of any kind; I thought I would just take the class, get the grade, and move on. Little did I know that signing up for honors chemistry with Mr. Antony would lead to one of the best educational experiences of my life.

Mr. Antony did the impossible for me: he helped me to not only learn chemistry, but to truly understand it with a workable knowledge...and against every right-brained, artsy nerve in my body, to even enjoy it a great deal.

Throughout the year in this very challenging subject, our class made plenty of mistakes and had plenty of questions, but Mr. Antony was always patient and gentle. He was always more concerned with helping us learn than following a lesson plan—he would do whatever it took for us to understand, even if that meant spending an entire class period answering questions.

Mr. Antony cares deeply about his students, and he is passionate about what he does. He once told us that when he was in college, while everybody else went home for breaks, he and his buddies loved to stay and spend extra time working in the lab.

He shows this same contagious passion and dedication to his subject and to his students every day.

You can find him in the chemistry lab with a smile on his face every day an hour before school starts and after school as well, always ready to help a student in need. It is obvious that he loves and cares about what he does, and this makes his students motivated to do their best as well. His lovable, good-natured personality quickly makes him a favorite teacher as well as friend to students, who all adore him.

Imagine the kindness and gentleness of Mother Theresa combined with Santa’s good cheer and the sheer genius of Albert Einstein, then add a lab coat and a handful of good corny chemistry jokes—that’s Mr. Antony. The best teacher ever.