![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
After 23 years of teaching in the science department, Jin Zhou says goodbye. Her position as a teacher and mentor atop of her caring personality will forever stay with the many students she taught and whom she inspired. Students will remain forever impacted by her teaching and overall presence. Her cheerful and charismatic personality helped students succeed and improve their academic performance.
Nearly ten years into working at the Children’s Hospital of L.A. and City of Hope, Zhou decided to make a change in her career from research to being a science teacher. Despite the major shift, Zhou believes it was for the best and has rewarded her significantly.
“I know in my heart that being a teacher is the best decision I have ever made,” said Zhou.
Throughout her 23 years of teaching, Zhou taught various science classes including physical science, biology, Advanced Placement (AP) biology, honors biology, chemistry, and AP chemistry. Currently teaching biology honors and AP biology, Zhou feels motivated to continue seeing her students persevere and work hard by making her students feel safe in the classroom and know that she cares for them.
Freshman Emma Pena appreciated the welcoming environment Zhou made the class feel. Her optimistic personality and comforting feeling made Pena’s freshman year amusing and easier for her as it is a major transition from middle school to high school.
“She was like one of the first teachers on the first day who was like genuinely happy and comforting…she is my favorite teacher, I mean I just got here so I don’t know what the other teachers are like but I don’t think there could be anyone here that could replace Ms. Zhou,” said Pena.
With her retirement approaching, Zhou’s passion for teaching will continue to be a special place in her life and will miss her everyday interactions with students. A large part of Zhou’s teaching involved having close relationships with her students to ensure they efficiently learn the subject as well as to interact with them to build strong bonds, which is what most of her students especially value and worship.
“I’m going to miss interact[ing] with my students, yeah because talking to them, and it really make[s] me, I don’t know, just so happy. That’s my favorite part of teaching, yeah to talk to my students,” said Zhou.
Along with Pena, sophomore Kimora Padilla also expressed her gratitude towards Zhou and how she felt impacted by her teaching and caring personality. Zhou’s motivational talks with her students pushed Padilla to continue working hard and never give up. Zhou’s hard work and determination to make sure no one failed her class consisted of as much help as possible and attention to the students she felt needed the extra help.
“She encouraged me no matter how much I didn’t do my work, she actually interacts with us. She like, refused to let any of her students fail. Like she helped them in any way to make sure they passed even if it was like with a C but she’d make them pass,” said Padilla.
From spending time and working with students every day for the past 23 years, Zhou will mostly miss her students whom she has felt impacted by the same way they felt impacted by her.
After Zhou retires, she plans to learn new skills and spend time finding new hobbies to continue having a busy day schedule.
“I’m thinking maybe first I will start cooking, learn how to cook. Yeah, cooking and then maybe do some traveling,” said Zhou.
This story was originally published on Insight on March 22, 2024.