Sometimes, I spend my Saturdays with my math teacher. Now, obviously, this is not a claim most high school students can--or want to--make. But Mr. Schmid is no ordinary math teacher. Though he may fit the typical calculator-wielding, calculus-loving, glasses-wearing stereotype, my freshman year Advanced Algebra/Trigonometry teacher’s abilities stretched far beyond the realm of numbers and functions.

Walking into my first Forensics (competitive speech club) meeting as an anxious and reserved freshman, I was greeted by the sight of my charismatic and sarcastic teacher standing at the front of the room. He was gesturing animatedly in the midst of what appeared to be a hilarious story--though after getting to know him better, I can safely assume it was one of his usual jokes about Dr. Who. What I didn’t realize at this time was this meeting marked the start of a high school experience that I will not soon forget.

Weeks later, after my first tournament, I returned to school, dejected after receiving three straight rounds of the lowest score. But Mr. Schmid was not about to tolerate my moping. Rather than allowing me to wallow in self pity, he said, “Let this be your starting point. Let’s work our way up from here.” From that day onwards, I spent every free minute in Mr. Schmid’s room; before school, after school, during study halls--name the time--I was there, sitting side by side with Mr. Schmid, perfecting every nuance of my speech. When the next tournament rolled around, I received a third place trophy. And by the end of the season, I was a State Semifinalist. The following year, I was State Champion. As a junior, I competed at Nationals in Florida. So, what transformed an introverted freshman into a person who loves public speaking? The answer begins and ends with Mr. Schmid.

Now, as a current senior, I have come to learn that Mr. Schmid’s caring and generous ways are not an exception to the rule but rather, the rule itself. What other teacher would spend every Saturday for four months of the year waking up at 5:30 AM just so he could bring donuts for sleepy students? Who else would jump around screaming and applauding for every student’s accomplishments as enthusiastically as a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber concert? Who, other than Mr. Schmid, would meet with 60 students bimonthly, to offer time, guidance, and support, with no expectation of reward?

And this attitude of guidance and compassion stretches far beyond his work as a speech coach. After having Mr. Schmid as a math teacher throughout my freshman and junior year, and now as a senior in his Calculus BC class,  my opinion of him has been refined to perfection. And I can summarize his approach in one word: caring. Mr. Schmid genuinely cares about the success of each and every student in his class. Admittedly, there have been times when concepts were so difficult and obscure that they may as well have been in Swahili. But Mr. Schmid challenges his students to stretch intellectual capacities, always following this challenge by breaking down each concept until everyone understands.

Without doubt, I have never before had a teacher who cares so much about my success, inside and outside of school, and for that reason, I nominate Mr. Steven Schmid for this award.