Educator of the year


High school is hard, especially when you are participating in other extracurricular activities. I chose one of the hardest activities to participate in. In a lot of minds people think that color guard easy; it's not. With a great instructor/coach I'm doing things with the flag that I never thought I could do.


Colin Land is the color guard instructor at the Delaware Military Academy. He always brings a positive attitude to every practice, and he is always ready to work. He will always do whatever will benefit you personally. For example, when I start twirling rifle, I had no idea what I was doing; Colin thought it would be best for me to practice for all the experience kids. He was right; it was best for me because watching the other girls made me want to try harder. He knows how to get me motivated and how to keep me on my toes.


Colin has this thing about him that is different from other instructors. He connects with all the guard members, and he always knows the right thing to say. Colin does not care if you mess up the entire show. All that matters to him is that you tried your hardest and you put a smile on your face. You could come off the field after your worst performance, and he will still tell you that it wasn't that bad. Colin is very supportive and has so much faith in all the color guard girls.


Not only is he hard-working, but Colin is also funny. He will always make a joke about everything. Learning guard is tough and sometimes stressful, but he always lifts the weight off your shoulders. Colin also makes practice fun, whether it's buying us a pizza or just having a relaxed practice. Durning the hot days of band camp, he would take us into the gym instead of making us stay outside.


Color guard may be hard, but with a great coach like Colin, everything becomes 10 times easier. I am glad that I have a coach like him. Without his confidence in the team we wouldn't be where we are today. For these reasons and many more, I nominate Colin Land for the educator of the year award.