Haven Happenings

What teacher(s) had an impact on you, and why?

Seniors shared just some of the amazing teachers in the building who impacted their growth, learning, and experience as high schoolers.

Byline photo of Evelynn Lin '25

Evelynn Lin '25, Editor-in-Chief • Jun 6, 2024

What teacher(s) had an impact on you, and why?

Cassandra Hansel

Cassandra Hansel

“Teachers that had the most impact on me would probably be Mr. Haney because he just makes your day when you walk by him, and he’s helped me through a lot of personal stuff. He’s my favorite teacher. Mr. Foulk also made a really big impact because I had him for history, and I was not doing very good for history at all, and he really looked out for me, and he had a lot of confidence in me when I didn’t have any in myself, and he gave me a lot of chances. He could’ve put me in a very bad situation, but he actually helped me out, so I’m thankful for him.”

Nick Costa

Nick Costa

“Mr. Miraglia, Mr. Haney, and Mr. Waldman. Mr. Miraglia, because he treats you like an adult. He teaches older classes, at least he did when I was in his class, and he talked to me like I was a high school student, rather than still in middle school, like I didn’t know what I was doing. And then Mr. Haney, everybody likes Mr. Haney. He’s one of the nicest teachers I’ve ever had. He’s a really good influence on
the students in general. And then Mr. Waldman, same thing as Mr. Miraglia. They’re both pretty funny. And I think that Mr. Waldman, he keeps it real. He’s super honest with his students, and I think that’s a good trait to have as a teacher.”

Sam Harrington

Sam Harrington

“I would say the teacher that impacted me the most was Mrs. Rieger, just because I’ve had her for so long, and she just helped me so much throughout high school. She’s the one who pushed us to do Dance Haven the first time and keeps me doing homework when I would rather not be doing homework, which is a challenge. Mr. Rothenbach. He just brings so much fun, he just keeps me on my toes every day. They’re all supporting of who we are and beyond the classroom through the extracurriculars, like Dance Haven and Wrestling. Mr. Styer is always talking in the hallway, asked about

Lila Hill, Grace McAdoo

Lila Hill, Grace McAdoo

“We have the same answers, Mr. Torregrossa. We had him for AP Calculus AB, and he’s our favorite teacher ever. He always made us laugh, even when we had to do really hard lessons. Yeah, we were struggling, but he always had a funny joke to make when we were upset. It takes him a while to open up, but when he opens up to you, he’s such a good friend. He has a little dog named Pip that we talk about, and the stories about her never stop. They’re always sweet. We just appreciate him as a teacher. And now we see him in the hallway and he always says hello. We hope everyone can have him in their high school career.”

Liam Szybist

Liam Szybist

“First of all, Ms. Neeson. My favorite teacher of all time, I think Ms. Neeson impacted me the best because she was just always fun. She made learning fun, always had Airheads, she was giving out prizes, and sometimes, I would say after school just to talk to her, just to chat and have a good time, maybe get an Airhead. It was just my favorite class, and it made me enjoy math for a little bit for the first time. It was a pleasure to be in that class. I think Mr. Waldman’s class felt like a college class in the way he talks to you, it’s just like anyone could join in on the conversation, and it was just very open to your own interpretation. It wasn’t just about facts. It was like we were all having a conversation. He just said what he wanted to. I respect that, a lot of the freedom in that class.”

About the Contributor

Evelynn Lin '25

Evelynn Lin '25, Editor-in-Chief

Evelynn Lin is a senior at Strath Haven High School, and this is her third year writing for the publication. This is her second year as a co-Editor-in-Chief for the paper, where she helps other reporters improve in their journalism and leads the process of putting out newspapers for people to enjoy. Outside of the Panther Press, she can be found photographing events, studying, dancing, or hanging out with friends.

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