`Great things to come'.

Byline: Nicole Morin

As we all know, Tahanto isn't exactly famous for its beauty. Walking through the hallways, you will see more blue and gray than green and white. Stepping into the classrooms, the mismatched desks and broken window shades are the first things to catch your eye. But at least we have a solid roof over our heads ... well, in some places.

In fact, the building is not a good representation of what Tahanto really is. That is because the building is not Tahanto. The building only contains Tahanto.

Tahanto is an experience. It is the experience of continuous learning and growth, which occurs within those crumbling walls. The key to creating such an experience is not having a glamorous building, it is having teachers who teach their required subjects well and go beyond that, to inspire their students to live well.

Tahanto may not have the best building, but it certainly has these kinds of teachers.

Mrs. Gleason, for example, has not only taught us about math, but about compassion as well. She strives to help every student do well in class and is also there to help whenever anyone is having a bad day or not feeling well. She is always ready to provide words of encouragement along with a hug, to make them feel better. All anyone has to do to become one of her favorites is to try their best. And, when you go on a field trip, it doesn't hurt to buy her a giant pencil either.

Her compassion is something we all have experienced and learned from.

Similarly, Mr. Doherty taught us not only about English, but also that there is meaning in everything: Meaning that is just waiting to be found.

He has always tried to get us to find the meanings in books, as they pertain to our lives. I do not know how many life lessons I have learned from his analyses of classic works such as "Crime and Punishment," "Hamlet" and "Julius Cesar," not to mention his favorite classics: "Cars" and "Finding Nemo."

He has taught us to look at everything in the world around us and learn something from it, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Then there is our Spanish teacher, Senora Mutti, who has taught us about patience. Senora braved the jungles of Venezuela, but I don't think she learned the true meaning of the word savage until she met our Spanish IV class.

Between the warfare that occurred within the Gatipmira tribe (formed within the classroom), our horrible Spanish grammar and the fascinating gym class that skied by the classroom windows every day in the winter, it is safe to say that Senora had her work cut out for her. However, through all of the distractions, she managed to teach us a great deal more about the Spanish language and, for people like me, for whom it didn't come so easily to, she never hesitated to go back and review old material.

Thanks to her, we have learned to emulate the patience that she offered us every day in her classroom.

Another great teacher at Tahanto is Mr. Pacheco, a history teacher, who has taught us to be unique.

Before knowing anything about him, I remember walking by his classroom and hear yelling, crashing, and evil sounding laughter. It sounded like students were being tortured in that room and I wondered why the police weren't showing up. However, I soon learned that Mr. Pacheco simply has a very different teaching style. All the noise I heard was really one of his famous battle re-enactments. The only real torture that occurred was when a student would start a question with the phrase "can I," which was inevitably followed by the complete history of the battle of Cannae, between Rome and Carthage.

His wacky and fun teaching style taught us that being unique, without worrying about the opinions of others, is often the best and most fun way to achieve our goals.

The teachers that I have mentioned are just a few of the great teachers we have at Tahanto. Every single teacher in this building has done far more for the class of 2009 than has been required of them. They have reached beyond their school subjects, to inspire us and teach us how to live well.

Because of them, we have learned the importance of being compassionate, as it gives strength to others along with ourselves. By thinking outside of ourselves, we have gained an increased perception, which allows us to recognize the significance of the world around us. We have learned to be patient through the obstacles that we will inevitably face in the future. We know that our goals will not come easily to us, but if we retain our uniqueness and stay true to ourselves, we can reach our goals, because the best way to be successful is through individuality, not normality.

For these reasons, and so many more, I want to thank all of the teachers for helping to shape our Tahanto experience.

Because of you, we, the class of 2009, can all stand up here knowing that we are prepared for what comes next, both in education and in life. You have helped us to grow from children into adults and, no matter where we go from here, we will always look back on our Tahanto experience, knowing that it was the beginning of all the great things to come.

ART: PHOTO

PHOTOG: Banner photo/MICHAEL KANE

CUTLINE: Class of 2009 Valedictorian Nicole Morin.