Greg Cooney, the junior and senior high drama and chorus teacher for Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, deserves to be educator of the year for many reasons. One reason being the way he teaches. This past year I took his senior drama class and I learned so much. Not only does he teach us about acting, but he teaches us valuable life lessons, such as how to use a ladder or circuit breakers. He also focuses on making the class fun and enjoyable so we strive to pay attention. If we have fun then chances are, we are paying attention.

Mr. Cooney is also involved in many school activities. He organizes most of the school plays, mass services, and other fine arts events, such as Lessons and Carols, a choir service for Christmas. Through my many conversations with Mr. Cooney, I know that he truly loves his job as an educator. He even spends his time at the school until almost four o'clock in the morning most nights. He is also a very talented musician. He has his own CD and performs at libraries for children.

The most important reason as to why Mr. Cooney should be chosen as educator of the year is how much he cares about his students. I know this from experience. One day I was injured and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance. It was my own fault for messing around. As I left the school on a stretcher, Mr.Cooney was with me until I was wheeled into the ambulance. Then he called me and my parents that night while we were at the hospital to make sure I was okay. He also called the following day just to see how I was doing.

In conclusion, Greg Cooney should be greatly considered for educator of the year. He is kind, caring, compassionate and overall my favorite teacher. To this day, even though I am no longer in his class, I still visit him everyday during my study period, and even if he is busy, he always stops what he is doing to talk to me.