In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, the staff of The Cardinal spotlight the teachers they feel have impacted and inspired their lives.  It is no secret that Hoover High School has some of the most caring teachers in San Diego.  However, the following teachers have stood out for the staff and some of them do what they do without expecting anything in return.

Ms. Judith Moreno

Since taking her class, my math teacher Ms. Moreno has helped me improve a lot on my math skills. I am so grateful for her staying behind after school and also sometimes at lunch time because she helps us understand.  I really admire her patience in teaching her students. Of course I am grateful to all the teachers I had classes with, but for me Ms. Moreno is a teacher I respect and admire. She Listens to what we say and sincerely tells us what’s the best thing we should do and gives us advice. She is an inspiration for all the things she has done and she has a positive influence over her students. I am grateful for her for not giving up on me because honestly, I really have a hard time with math. She doesn’t rush us, instead explains it to us which really helps. This really motivated me to work harder. Thank you Ms. Moreno for always listening and helping me. It was the first math class I really loved and enjoyed, and actually for the first time believed in myself. I still appreciate your help. I want to take this opportunity and thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.

Zabiba Abdi

Mr. Ron Moya

Mr. Moya is an art teacher who’s inspired students to look at art from a different perspective beyond drawing and painting. He tries to bring out the creativity in each student, and pushes his students to do their best. Anyone who ever walks into his class is welcomed, even if they aren’t taking his class. He has been kind to motivate me to follow my passion further into college and helping me with suggestions to create an art portfolio.  He does this with anyone who is passionate in art which I truly appreciate him for. As a current student in his class, unfortunately the class was cut short from the amount of artwork we were working on, especially being able to display it at galleries. Quarantine did not stop Mr. Moya from teaching us to continue to be creative but instead Mr. Moya suggested we make an art work inspired about how this time is affecting us.  Mr. Moya is a teacher that truly cares about his students and supports them.  He is also a really fun teacher to be around with always trying his best to bring a smile to any student, and I appreciate that he still continues to teach even at a difficult time.

Lindsey Arzola

Ms. Sheri Sevenbergen

Ms. Sevenbergen is a really wonderful teacher through my eyes.  Ms.Seven has been the teacher who has been there for me and has supported me since I came to Hoover. The patience she has with her students who do not know any English, and how she finds ways to explain to her students even though she does not speak Spanish at all, shows how much love she has with her work.  When I was her student, she taught me even more than English. She taught me to never give up in life and to confront the difficult times in life but to never let them bring me down. When my dad passed away she cried with me, hugged me and said everything was going to be okay. She helped me a lot with her words but besides that she helped me with keeping my mind busy doing fun activities or with finding people who were able to help me with my situation. The love she gives to her students is honest, her voice and words makes them feel that everything is fine.  Being a part of her class during my freshman year encouraged me to help my classmates who didn’t know any English at all. She encouraged me to help them and become a tutor during my junior year of high school.

Cathy Arrieta

Ms. Ellen Hohenstein

Ms. Hohenstein is one of the many most understanding, benevolent and trustworthy teachers at Hoover. As the academy director of the Academy of Health and Healthy Communities, she is very supportive and understanding about students’ mental health. This is something I appreciated a lot because she was one of the teachers who would set aside work to help us regain focus and a breather from our other classes. She is always involved with the academy alongside the academy coordinators making the academy events better each time. She is one of the most compassionate and always finds ways to understand and help her students. She’s also very open and someone you can trust and confide in.  Personally Ms. Hohenstein has given me good advice both academically and personally. She’s inspirational because there aren’t many teachers who care for their students in such a way. She creates activities that will help us out and that is something that will stay with me because those were valuable lessons that helped me overcome barriers I eventually had to overcome. I wouldn’t have been able to surpass some of the challenges on my own and for that, she will always be deeply appreciated.

Melody Antunez

Mr. Dave Erving

Mr. Erving is one of the most inspirational teachers I have ever had the pleasure of learning from. Not only does he teach his students to make fun and creative ceramic pieces, but he teaches them to find themselves in the art they create. He is fun and easy going and always has amazing stories to tell…from his traveling around the world, to appearing in a movie, to ending up doing a job he loves. He takes the time to teach his students the different ways of working with clay and how the clay is processed into a ceramic piece. He shows you the different possible techniques for designs and patterns for ceramic designs. Mr. Erving is a teacher who cares about his students beyond the classroom, and makes sure that everything is fine at home. I had a lot of fun during his classes. He has a great sense of humor, friendly, and patient. Having a conversation with him is like having a normal conversation with a friend. If any student is looking to take an art class with a cool art teacher, then ceramics is the class to take.

Angie Galan ~ Editor-in-Chief

Mrs. Lacey Dodd

The best teacher is a teacher who has a big impact on her/his students lives and who wants the best for her/his students.  I truly believe Mrs. Dodd fits that description. She has taught me to be an open minded and outgoing student. Her respect and kindness brought lots of us out of our shells and it also brought motivation, strength, leadership and respect. I noticed she talks to students individually to see what’s been happening in their lives and that’s something every teacher should be doing. She inspires us to join clubs/ activities and try new habitats everyday. She’s like the perfect high school teacher/best friend any student could ask for. Building up walls is something I’ve always done and I thought I was protecting myself by hiding in my shell, but having circles every Friday helped me get out of it. It freaked me out but each week it got easier for me and I would like to thank her for that. I want her to know she has a big impact in her students’ lives and I hope to see her again to thank her for everything she has done for me.

Apiew Abella

Mr. John Rivino

In all of my years here at Hoover, and among the many teachers I have encountered throughout many of my classes and experiences, I feel like the one who stands out the most to me is Mr. Rivino. Even though I have not had him in a class for over two years, he is still super positive with me and always greets me and makes me feel happy because of how positive he is towards me and all the students. He made me feel like I could be better and push past my limits to become somebody great, and that I would be able to succeed in life. Based on the reactions of many of the other students, they all seem to like him as a teacher because of how he treats us…with kindness. Hypothetically, it seems to me like he is like a father figure and wants what is best for us and wants to make sure we are doing okay.  He checks up on us if he notices that something is wrong.  Mr. Rivino is one of the teachers that has inspired me to take a career path in education and to give what he gave us to future children.

Luis Ordonaz

Ms. Yolanda Gooch

For Teacher Appreciation Week, I appreciate Ms. Gooch because she is truly an amazing teacher to me and my other fellow students.  Everyday, she has a beautiful and bright smile, always made us laugh, and asked us about our day.  She would also check if we need any help for homework or just need someone to talk to, her door would be open I have never met a teacher like her before. I remember going to her class so happy cause I had made friends there and it’s because of her and her fun activities plus on Wednesdays, we had our circle and could talk about anything like how we were feeling, anything school related, outside of school talks, everything. Because of her, I did a circle in one of my other classes and this showed me to be more outgoing. She always thought her students could accomplish everything they wanted to do because she would push us to keep going and do more and be better.  And I liked her energy and the way she thought about our school and her students. I also liked how she would go to programs for immigrants and do a lot of community services. These are my reasons why I chose Ms. Gooch as an inspirational teacher who I recommend to all students.

Jackie Zavala

Ever wondered which teacher at Hoover is very involved and has been the most influential, inspirational, and advocates for students? Well, Ms. Gooch is by far the most influential and inspirational teacher I know on Hoover’s campus. She’s so involved with SJA which is absolutely amazing. Most of the events that SJA holds, she encourages students to lead. Personally, she is always there for me if I need to talk or to just say hello. Ms. Gooch always has a positive attitude and leads such a great example for our students. Also, she has gorgeous outfits everyday and are never the same every time I see her. Sometimes she makes me want to start dressing up whenever I go out. Without her, I wouldn’t think the events of SJA would be as great. She plays such an important role for SJA which is learning how to advocate for others and yourself, which I think everyone needs to learn. That is why she makes such a great mentor, teacher, and friend. I would like to thank Ms. Gooch for being part of the Hoover community and making it a safe place for everyone to learn.

Ethan Pham ~ Senior Editor