BY ROSA PRESTON

As many people know, the recent assembly was quite the show. The dance team, the cheerleaders, and our Courtwarming King and Queen nominees were all there, and let me just say, it was all amazing! Let us again congratulate Queen Delaney Crick and King Griffin Hernandez for being voted for Courtwarming royalty. And of course we can’t forget our Teacher of the Year and Staff Member of the Year! Congratulations to Nicole Klein for Teacher of the Year and Ken Johnson for Staff Member of the Year!

The vote for Ms. Klein to be the Teacher of the Year filled her with great pride and joy. When interviewed, she said, “I think that there are a lot of people at Truman who are wonderful and deserve recognition, so I felt so honored that I was even nominated, and it was a really nice surprise!” Those nominated, despite not getting the award, were happy for her, like Stephanie Nagl. She was filled with pride for Ms. Klein when interviewed, saying, “I was honored to be nominated with such a fine group. Like I said, we have several other members who easily could’ve been standing up there as well. However, I feel like Mrs. Klein was truly the best choice for the winner. Her dedication and heart is so evident in all she does here for the students and staff at Truman.”

And even though some people who work at Truman aren’t teachers, they are still deeply appreciated, which is one reason why Ken Johnson was chosen for Staff Member of the Year. Similarly to Klein, he was very happy to be chosen. “There’s a lot of people that could’ve been selected, that are important and do a great job here, so frankly, I was surprised. I didn’t even know I was selected until one of my custodians told me. There’s plenty of people that could’ve won and been chosen. It’s my honor to have been chosen and won. It means so much to know the work I do around the building is noticed,” he said when interviewed. Similarly to Ms. Klein’s fellow nominees, those who didn’t win were still very happy for him.

But let’s talk students. Like the teachers, many students were happy for the winners. Some even hoped they would get nominated. And then we have those who appear just okay with the winners, such as an anonymous sophomore who said, “Personally I thought Ms. Klein deserved the Teacher of the Year, but I honestly thought Dave would get the staff of the year. And although I didn’t have a connection with the winners, I’m fine with them.”

Overall, everyone is very receptive and pleased with our two winners. So let’s take another moment to congratulate Nicole Klein as Teacher of the Year and Ken Johnson as Staff Member of the Year. And if you see them out in the halls, thank them for their work and dedication.