One of the difficult things about teaching is letting go when students move on to the next level. As teachers we are so fortunate to watch the kids of our community grow over the course of the year and if we are lucky, they stay in touch and let us know what happens after they leave our doors on that final day in June. One student who has made a major impact on my life both acadmically and through sports is Helen Petersen. Helen was in my 7th grade class my first year in Prosser. Her class was one of my all-time favorites, and coming off a few difficult years with another district, these kids renewed my faith in our future generation. Helen volunterered to help me coach the boy's soccer team and truly took on an Assistant Coach role where she was often much tougher on the boy's than I was! But amazingly, they respected her talent and wisdom and chose to learn from her, showing her strong leadership ability.
Helen is not only an amazing athlete, which I knew from the minute I watched her play soccer and basketball, but an awesome human being who has such an intense love and passion for her family that it rivals anyone I've ever known. Pretty amazing for a 15-year-old. Mr. and Mrs. Petersen, you've done an amazing job raising your kids and I'm so grateful that Helen and Charlie have a been a part of my teaching life! Today the Tri-City Herald posted this article about Helen and if you didn't get a chance to check it out please visit this link and do so!
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