Nominated by: Elia Gallaher

I went to a private middle and elementary school, and switching to a new school my freshman year with no friends was scary. I was overwhelmed by the size of Kettle Moraine High School, and had been late to almost every class the first day. It was fourth hour and I had just barely made it in time as I walked into my orchestra class. I was exhausted from a long day and just wanted to go home and cry. “Hey! Come on in and take a seat anywhere!” I looked around for the owner of this voice then I saw her, Ms. Sternberg. She had the biggest smile on her face and seemed so happy to teach us. Ms. Sternberg spent this first class telling us about herself. She told us about her love of SpongeBob, and all things classical music. She told us jokes, and made us feel comfortable. All the anxiety I had been holding onto that day disappeared, and when the bell rang I was sad I had to leave. From then on my orchestra room felt like a place I could be myself. I could struggle and be challenged, I could step up and grow. Ms. Sternberg helped me grow and pushed out of my comfort zone a lot my freshman year. She had me become a leader in the orchestra, with this role I had to be confident in my playing and be able to help others. She gave me challenges but always believed in me, and knowing she believed in me made these challenges easier to overcome. Ms. Sternberg has become one of my favorite teachers, and will be for my whole life. She has helped me so much these years, and I cannot wait for my next class with her each week. Thank you, Ms. Sternberg. You are the best orchestra teacher I could have asked for.