Student Nomination Story

I was a former student of his and frequently bullied throughout all four years of high school. His classroom was the only space I ever truly felt safe. I even had his class with a few of my bullies and after a couple of months, they stopped bullying me. One of them even apologized to me during our senior trip for the way he and his friends treated me. That would not have happened without Mr. Tribble. There was recently an incident with two students at THS. One student was wielding a knife, pushed over the edge from being bullied. Mr. Tribble walked up to the student with the knife, tossed the knife away, put his hands on his shoulders and took deep breaths with him, diffusing the situation, and in turn, saving lives. His response to the situation showed that his prime concern was the safety of the students.

Emily Budworth

First of all, as someone who grew up with hardly any positive male role models, Ryan Tribble became a shining example of male strength & sensitivity from the moment he introduced himself to a room of students. He taught not only the history of psychology, but also taught us how to talk about our own experiences with mental health & actually got us to build rapport with everyone in the class, there were no "cliques" in his classroom. He brought humanity to his lessons, & made us feel empowered even at our most vulnerable. I remember being on a hike at Knight's Ferry with him & classmates, just being at ease & able to talk with each other after we each had shared so many personal things from dealing with death to suicide to bullying to teen pregnancy. He's a teacher who says, "my door is always open if you need to talk to someone" & actually fulfills that promise, speaking as a former student who took him up on that offer. Recently, Ryan Tribble has made the news for stopping a fight that broke out between 2 students that resulted in 1 being stabbed. If there is anyone who you want to intervene in that harrowing moment of chaos, it's Ryan Tribble - one of the most calming & loving forces to enter into the teaching profession. He did not judge those students, not even the perpetrator holding the knife. He saw 2 kids who needed help & did what he does best. He could have easily been stabbed himself, but he showed kindness to that student & got him to stop before the incident escalated further. Ryan Tribble deserves everything good in this world.

Sierra Wigington

To see more exceptional teacher nominees, visit The Honor Roll.