Everyone has those teachers who affected them more than others, the teachers who did more than just teach, whether they realized it or not. I was lucky enough to have two in high school, both teachers who had me in class for multiple years and did more than their job description, at least for me. They were -- both have since retired from Camp Hill -- in very different fields, but both had more of an impact than I think they know.

First of all, to Magistra. I had known that I had wanted to take Latin since I was in elementary school, being as enthralled by history as I was. I don't know if you remember this, but at the end of my sixth-grade year, when my family was debating me having skip exploratory and go straight to Latin I, Mrs. Fonte brought me up to the Latin room and you gave me a mini Latin lesson. I don't remember much else about that day, other than being a bit scared of you (social anxiety was always something I struggled with), but I remember being so excited when it was finally time for me to do Latin in exploratory. I had it fourth quarter, which was both good and bad -- on one hand, there's the whole saving the best for last thing, but I also had to wait all year to finally get to take Latin. There was never any doubt over which language I was going to take.

Of course, what you did for me extended beyond just teaching Latin. You wrote me three or four letters of recommendation, both for various camps and for college. You believed in me, even at the times when I didn't believe in myself. You signed my yearbook both junior and senior year saying that you believed I would do great things, which meant the world to me. I cried the last time I walked out of your classroom, both because I knew that I would never have your class again and because I wasn't going to be able to come back and visit you since you were retiring. Thank you for everything.

Secondly, to Mr. Zirkle. I had been so excited to finally get to high school band. I had been watching the marching band rehearse for years before I had been finally able to join -- there were several weekends in the fall of my eighth grade year when I would sit behind the fence at our field at Fiala and watch rehearsal. Since I had already had you for middle school band and you knew me, my mom would joke that you would make me join in rehearsal. Honestly, I would have been OK with that. I was so excited for marching band, and that excitement extended into other ensembles as well -- high school concert band, high school jazz band, caroling with holiday cheer, my first time getting to do pit orchestra.

Everyone I've talked to says that you always did so much more than you needed to. It was a joke in my family to drive past the high school and either say "Oh look, Mr. Zirkle is there," or "Mr. Zirkle isn't there; that's a surprise!" That time commitment was helpful to the entire band, of course, but also to me in particular, given that I didn't exactly have a marimba in my bedroom to practice on like my brothers do with their saxophone/snare drum. I was able to come in and practice after school and over the summer because we knew that you were going to be there to let me into the building. You helped me believe in my own musical abilities because you believed in them. Thank you for that -- thank you for everything.

I'm at the end of my freshman year of college and being away really gave me the opportunity to realize just how lucky I was. Thank you both for making a difference when I needed it most. I appreciate it more than I can say.