2011-2012 Teacher of the Year & Scholarship Awardees
Seth Neale - teaches English as Second Language
Since I grew up in Clemens, I was fully aware of the traditions and accolades of RJR. I have many friends who are alumni. Also, my aunt did her student teaching at Reynolds when she was a student at the Women's College of Greensboro (UNCG). Before teaching at Reynolds I taught English in Peru, Honduras, and at Forsyth Tech. I had taken some time off from teaching when a friend who is a Reynolds alumnae called me and said that they needed a long term substitute for an ESL teacher who was on medical leave. I taught ESL for a quarter and a half, and then for the end of the school year I substituted for a Spanish teacher on maternity leave. In the fall the ESL teacher switched to elementary and Mr. Elroad hired me to take her place.
During the school year I teach three periods of ESL 11. These are students who have usually been in the United States less than four years. We focus on listening, speaking, reading, and writing through core content. Besides teaching ESL, I am the Key Club advisor (we still sponsor the Canned Food Drive and Follies), girls cross country coach, the ESL department chair, and advisor to the YMCA Latino Achievers program. This past year I had a student teacher through a program called PROJECT ENRICH with UNCG. My student teacher was with me from the first work day until the last.
What I love about Reynolds is the diverse student body. It is a microcosm of the world. We have all social classes, races, and ethnic groups. There is a club for everyone.
Finally, my goal is to help Reynolds maintains its status of one of the big five public high schools in North Carolina (Greensboro Grimsley, Charlotte Myers Park, Raleigh Broughton, Chapel Hill High and RJ Reynolds). I feel that the best view of Winston-Salem is in front of the auditorium. I feel honored to teach at RJR.
Aida Husikic
I am truly grateful that I received the scholarship from the RJR alumni. It means a lot! I miss RJ Reynolds High School so much, and I never thought I would. I was more than ready to go to college, but looking back on my high school experience: I miss it so much. I love having the dedicated teachers that we do. You can definitely tell they love what they do. Having teachers being excited about their subject just makes me excited to learn!
Ms. Freitag was the toughest teacher I had at RJR, but now being in college: I learned the most from her. As I sit in my math class, I just remember everything I learned from her class…and I look at it as a review. I loved all the people at Reynolds, not only my friends but others too. I feel like everyone was one big family. One thing I notice is that people don't care if you're an underclassman or not. Coming in as a freshman, I heard so many awful stories about what Seniors do to Freshmen…but none of it was true. Everyone gets along so well. I cheered all four years in high school, and it was the best decision ever. I made so many friends, and I made a lot of connections with teachers. It also showed me how to be a leader after I was chosen as the Captain my Senior year. My coach, Ashley Witherspoon, helped me out so much these past couple of years. She wasn't just a coach to me. She was like my mother at school. I knew I could always go to her if I had a problem…and I always did. I still keep in touch with her. Even though I've graduated will always come back to visit. Whenever I was going through some hard times I never hesitated to talk to her about them because I trusted her so much. Just talking about her makes me miss her.
An average day at Reynolds consisted of laughter, smiles, friends, and work of course. Everyone is always so friendly, including the teachers. What I'll remember most at Reynolds is just the family atmosphere. I miss all my friends, and it's sad to think that we have all departed to college, and that I might not see any of them ever again. I will also remember game day at Reynolds. I love getting ready for the games with all my cheer mates and pumping up the crowd. Just seeing the rowdies smile on their faces after we do crowd responses makes me so happy. One of the best games ever was in my sophomore year at the football game against West Forsyth. We were both undefeated, so the game was packed. There were parents, students, and even alumni everywhere. I'd never seen so many people at a Reynolds football game before. We ended up winning in the final seconds of the game, and all the Reynolds students stormed the West Forsyth football field. I'll never forget that. It truly felt like a huge family when everyone was on the field celebrating and hugging each other.
My favorite class that I took was digital photography with Mr. Benanati. I learned so much about cameras and the beauty of the world just by taking pictures. I felt like he treated us like a college class. We would get to class, get our assignment, and he would just let us do our thing. He was always so willing to help whenever I asked. I miss that class, and I miss him so much. He definitely made an effort to try to make a personal connection with his students, and those are the students that I love. My hardest class, like I stated earlier, was Algebra 11 with Ms. Freitag. Even though it was my hardest class, I felt like I remember and learned the most from that class.
There are only two things I would change about RJR. The first would be that I wish there was more school spirit. I would have loved to see the stadium full at the football games, basketball stands packed, along with the other sports too. We only had a few dedicated rowdies, and I believe whether your school is winning or losing you need to be there to support them. Another thing I would change is that everyone got along. Not saying that people didn't get along. It's just that looking around I feel like everyone had their own group of friends, and no one wanted to step outside of that comfort zone. That's how it is at most high schools though…but that's one thing that always bothered me.
I am now attending Appalachian State University and love it here. In a way I feel like I'm at a bigger Reynolds because looking around campus: all I see is black and yellow. App State is like one big family. That is the very first thing they told the freshman class, and I truly feel like a part of a family here as I did at RJR. As of now I am majoring in Exercise Science. I am not too positive on what I'd like to do with it but I have some ideas. I would like to either be a PT, PA, or dentist. I'm very determined, and I feel like Reynolds definitely prepared me for it. I truly miss Reynolds High School, just because of all the great friendships I've made with my fellow classmates and even my teachers. The teachers at Reynolds are some of the nicest teachers I've ever had, and I've missed that. I recently went to the pep rally and homecoming game. I just felt like I was back home when I walked into that gym. I made some incredible memories at Reynolds, and also a lot of friends. I can definitely say my four years of Reynolds were some of the best years I've had, and I've missed them.
Thank you to the RJR alumni for choosing me for this scholarship.
Scott Holzwarth
What do you like about RJR?
Throughout my years at Reynolds, I particularly enjoyed the excellent teaching staff that Reynolds has to offer. They have made my academic experience much better, and the teachers that I've had I'm planning on keeping in touch with in the coming years. As far as after-hours school activities: most of what I did had to do with sports. I wouldn't have it any other way, either. The teammates and friends I have made through the sports I've played have become like family to me…after having bonded over so many special moments that are unique to athletes and their teammates. RJR is Society Hill. It offers a diverse range of people through the arts magnet program, and that has made my social experience all the better. I'm now friends with people who I might not have been introduced to otherwise.
Who is your favorite teacher or coach and why?
My favorite teacher had to be Ms. Beach-Munday. She taught my AP Art History class, as well as some other art classes. The reason she stands out to me so much is because she is always accepting of what a student did. She taught her class like a college professor might have, giving us students more incentive to study the material outside of class. She also has a unique sense of humor that appealed to me. Every day before class I would be in her room 30 minutes early either reading from our massive art history textbook, studying flash cards, or just sitting and talking with her. Mrs. Beach-Munday is a fantastic teacher, and after this year I consider her to be not only a great teacher but a friend of mine as well.
What an average day at RJR entailed.
An average day in RJR for me entailed getting up at 5:30 am to do my Navy SEAL training, then breakfast and to Career Center where my first class started at 8:00 am. After my first class, I had a free second period where I either went out for a second breakfast or finished my homework from the previous night. After fourth period ended at Career Center, I was lucky enough to enjoy a lunch from 11:45 to 2:10. On most days I made a quick lunch and did homework. When I chose not to do work I used the time to catch up on some much needed sleep. At 2:10 I went back to Reynolds for my last class of the day. When school ended, more often than not I was rushing to some club meeting that I had to direct…and then leaving early so I could still make it on time tomorrow 4:00 sports practice. After practice, I went home, ate dinner, and then did homework. On some days I had to work as well.
What will you best remember about going to Reynolds?
I will best remember all the great experiences I had on the sports field at Reynolds. Sports have always been my passion, and a great deal of my time and effort has always been put into them. I've made all of my best friends through the sports that I've played in, so while getting to go out and have fun actually playing also allowed me to be out there on the field with all of my buddies. I'll never forget the hard work that I put into practice, as well as the laughs that we had in the locker room, as well as on the field.
What was the favorite class you took and why and what was the hardest class you took?
The favorite class I took had to either be AP Art History or AP Environmental Science. Both classes taught subject matter that I'm extremely interested in. I was also lucky enough to have fantastic teachers for both: Mrs. Beach- Munday for Art History and Mr. Scott for Environmental Science. I bonded with the teachers over our interest in the subject matter, and so I personally got to delve a little deeper into what we were learning…which made it more special than other classes. The hardest class that I look had to be AP Physics. I took this class at the Career Center with Mr. Lingard. For some reason I could just not wrap my head around the idea of fear physics. It struck me as strange, because I've always been good at math (with a scoring of five on the AP Calculus exam my junior year). This was actually a pivotal discovery me, being bad at physics, because I previously had wanted to be an engineer. This showed me that I might not be as interested in that career choice as I previously thought.
What would you change it RJR if you could?
The only thing that I would change about RJR is actually in the process of being changed at the moment: a stadium of our own near enough to the school where we wouldn't have to ride a bus to home games. As much as I like the Deaton Thompson Stadium, I could never stand having to ride a bus to our home own home field and actually having it be the away team every other year whenever we played Parkland. The new stadium will be a great addition to the school.
Where are you going next year school and what will you be majoring in?
I'm attending Davidson College next year, where I get to continue my favorite sport (football) at the division one AA level. As of now my current major is Pre-med.
Anything else you want to tell the alumni?
I wouldn't change a thing about the four years I had it Reynolds. I've made great friends who I know I'll keep up with for the rest of my life. I've enjoyed playing varsity athletics almost all four years of high school. I took advantage of the great teaching staff, and I feel like I am prepared to take on the challenge of academia that Davidson is known for (because of the base they have given me). I feel like I have set a legacy for the Holzwarth family name that my three younger siblings (one is currently a freshman) will be proud of, and will try their hardest to continue.