By Claudia Loucks
Geneseo Current
The players on this year’s team invited the educator they chose to attend the recent Geneseo basketball game. Theme of the night was “You Make a Difference.” The educators were honored at the game, and when they were introduced, brief statements were read about each educator and their relationship to the team member.
Brucher, a GHS history teacher, said he believes a student’s conduct in the classroom is reflected on the gym floor. Each year that he was involved in coaching at GHS, he asked the senior members of his team to select an educator who has made an impact on their life. One home game of the season is designated as a time for “Educator Appreciation.”
When Hardison took the reins of the team, the tradition was familiar to him. He said when he was a student at Alleman High School, the team members also chose an educator to be honored. “I asked Mr. Brucher if it was okay to continue what he had started and he was in favor of that,” Hardison said.
Brucher and Hardison agree that the educators who are selected have been very important and influential in the lives of the young ladies and the “Educator Appreciation” time is a way of saying “thank you.”
Brucher said when he was in school, there was a “Teacher Appreciation Night,” when each player selected a teacher who had had an influence/impact on their life, or simply was one of their favorite teachers.
At the recent GHS game, each senior player wrote a brief statement explaining their choice and presented their honoree with a plaque. The younger players on the varsity team presented certificates to their honorees.
THE PLAYERS AND THE EDUCATORS HONORED:
SENIORS:
Ava DeSplinter – Jenny Young, Biology and Anatomy teacher at GHS.
Bella Goethals – Kristy VanOpdorp, Science teacher at GHS.
Peyton Kies – Jacqueline Wetzell – Agriculture teacher and FFA Advisor at GHS.
Kate Lehman – Jamie Kotovsky, Band Director at GHS.
Hannah Loehr – Andrea Snook, U.S. History teacher at GHS and Link Crew leader.
Lizzie Rapps – Dan Rakestraw, P.E. teacher at GHS.
Madison Reade – Kim Windisch, Art teacher at GHS.
K.J. Wildemuth – Megan Miller, Cross Country coach.
YOUNGER PLAYERS ON VARSITY TEAM:
Avery Bagby – Jeff McAvoy, History teacher at Geneseo Middle School.
Leah Cooper – Aubree Plant, English teacher at Geneseo Middle School.
Olivia Ruby – Steve Brucher, History teacher at GHS.
Jaylee Brudos – Karna Frerichs, P.E. teacher at Geneseo Middle School.
Bella Brown – Mike Harrington, AP Government at GHS.
Lainey Norville – Nicole Walsh, an elementary teacher.
Viola Pettit – Scott Christensen, Math at Geneseo High School.
Brooklyn Ruby – Steve Brucher, History teacher at GHS.
Kendyl Wassenhove – Alison Litton, Family and Consumer Science teacher at GHS.
