Starfish of the Week - Rachel Laphand

Rachel Laphand has been chosen as Starfish Teacher of the Week because of her dedication to our students in need.  Whether they have emotional or physical needs, Mrs. Laphand will hear it all and, oftentimes, fix it. She makes the difficult phone calls with parents and guardians that no one wants to have to make.  She sponsors our HUGE Beta Club & all the community service projects that they do for our community.  She gathers gifts for our faculty and staff, sending reminders, putting forth the thought and effort. She has those hard conversations with our kids. She remains patient and kind, despite the things she deals with in her position.  She sees some of the worst yet remains one of the most positive people on campus.  

Mrs. Laphand is a positive role model to those students she meets with regularly.  She is a kind, calm presence that allows the students to open up to her in ways others cannot. She is patient and understanding with the adults that she deals with as well.  Mrs. Laphand is a listening ear to teachers who need advice about students and those of us who sometimes just need to vent.  She may not teach an academic subject, but she teaches our kids how to understand themselves and their feelings & emotions– to some of our hardest-to-reach kids.  Her position is not an easy, breezy one, but she still smiles & never says, “no.”  She always tries and always, always makes a BIG difference.