Freshman year is a time of transition.  It can be hard  if you (like me) are from a school of 200 students going into a school of 2,000.  Coming from a small middle school -- Stone Bank -- I didn’t know people from other schools around the high school.  So, it was nerve-racking walking in the first day not knowing where my classrooms were, and what the expectations were of high school.  It felt as if boulders lived in my stomach and decided to have a party--making me jittery and uneasy.

Arrowhead started a program called the ILA (Integrated Learning Academy) which is what I participated in my freshman and sophomore years.  The ILA was stocked with the most determined teachers -- from English, social studies, science, and business.  This program integrated subjects together, so our comprehension would be more versatile and our understanding more in depth. 

The first day freshman year, I walked into my ILA class feeling a sense of family.  The ILA teachers grinned like the Grinch when his heart grew.  Mr. Reichle was the first teacher to talk and welcome us all into the program, and his energy bounced.

Mr. Reichle was my social studies teacher both freshman and sophomore year.  He is a tall, loud, and enthusiastic teacher -- and he is a teacher who never gives up on his students.  Mr. Reichle made class interactive and entertaining. He taught us in different styles -- showing us a video, having us read articles, or relating the current news to what we were learning.  Often times, we did group discussions or debates, which I never enjoyed participating in.  So, Mr. Reichle would call on me to start the discussions (more times than not). I was forced to participate and go outside of my comfort zone, which has molded me into becoming the person today.  I have learned that going outside of my comfort zone can get me where I want to be, even though it is hard at first.  I appreciate Mr. Reichle pushing me to work harder and getting me outside my comfort zone, because it has prepared me for real-world experiences.

Mr. Reichle is a teacher, a Key Club leader, and a father of two.  I never enjoyed social studies, because I never had an interest in it.  However, Mr. Reichle made social studies meaningful by giving feedback and having a deep knowledge.  Even outside the classroom, Mr. Reichle takes time out of his day to stop and ask how the day is going when he passes any of his students in the hallways.  For these reasons, I am nominating Mr. Ron Reichle as Educator of the Year.

Mr. Reichle is like a social studies superhero.  He made high school an easy transition, and also a likable experience.  And, he is who inspired me to take more social studies credits than I need, because I was shown that social studies can actually be very interesting.