Student Life The teachers and staff members at Stanton play a large role in the lives of students. This year’s Golden Apple and Silver Star award recipients are Mr. Aaron Herbig and Ms. May
GOLDEN APPLE
them succeed. By ZOE REYES, Student Life Reporter
photos by Ashley Hagins
Mr. Aaron Herbig has been teaching Advanced Placement and Honors Chemistry teacher at Stanton for two years. In a short time he has brought to the school his enthusiasm and dedication to helping students learn which have earned him recognition, for these reasons he has been awarded the 2014 Golden Apple award. Mr. Herbig received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He channeled his love for chemistry into running a teen years. However, he left that job because he was searching for something more rewarding to do with his life; he found what he was looking for in teaching. “The business paid the bills, but that wasn’t enough for me, I wanted to make a bigger impact in the world and teaching has allowed me to do that,” said Mr. Herbig. Leaving behind his own business, Mr. Herbig left Chicago and moved to Jacksonville to become a teacher. He described the move as challenging, but rewarding in the end. “The move was a big change, but it was something I
Through her dedication, encouragement, and cheerful attitude, Ms. May Ibasco has become a positive indedication to help her students succeed is why she has been awarded the 2014 Silver Star Award. “I thought I wanted to do something with clinical counseling, but after I worked at a crisis call center I realized it was too draining-emotionally and physically. It just wasn’t for me,” said Ms. Ibasco. With a looming graduation date, she switched her major to sociology with a focus in school counseling. After attending graduate school at the University of North Florida, Ms. Ibasco found herself at Stanton as an intern, however she had no intention of actually working at the school. “I went into the internship at Stanton just wanting to learn, but after my internship, and after I had been rejected from two schools, Mr. Bob Turba called me for an interview.” After being hired at Stanton, Ms. Ibasco discovered her true love for counseling. “Working here really made counseling a reality, and I realized I loved doing this,” she said. Her enthusiasm about her job is just one indicator of how much she cares about helping students. Her goal is to break the stigma that in order to be successful you have to attend a highly ranked school, something that she sees frequently at Stanton. “It just breaks my heart when I see students apply to these Ivy League or highly ranked schools because of parent pressure or cultural standards, and they don’t get in... and then they base their whole high school experience off of that one rejection letter,” said Ms. Ibasco. Her passion for helping students discover their right path is one that deserves recognition. ever they want to do, I want to get away from rankings,” said Ms. Ibasco.
may 2014
at Yulee High School before coming to Stanton. He is grateful to be able to teach at Stanton, where he notices the drive in the students. “The kids at Stanton want to be here, they’re just good kids. I see the effort they put forth and I see them wanting to learn,” said Herbig. The staff and administration at Stanton is also something that stands out to Mr. Herbig, “The faculty is great. There is an atmosphere of family that comes
She instead tries to instill in students that they need “I want them to put aside what their parents want and what their friends are doing. I want students to go to the school they’re supposed to be at, because that is what matters most in the end. I just want them to be happy,” said Ms. Ibasco. Her dedication to her job can be seen
with working here, I feel the support from everyone,” said Mr. Herbig. His goal goes beyond teaching students about chemistry, he wants them to actually enjoy the process of learning. “It is a rare joy to actually like learning. I want my students to experience that. Many of these kids have never had to study and they’ve never really had to work for an A, then they come to this class and realize it’s not as easy as they thought it would be, ” said Mr. Herbig. Sophomore Lyndsey Clark appreciates the effort Mr. Herbig puts into his teaching. “He’s a really great teacher. He wants everyone to fully understand everything and he tries his best to explain things. You can tell he really cares about his job,” said Clark. Students feel that Mr.Herbig also tries to guide them in their high school journey and is always there to offer support. “Mr. Herbig isn’t just a teacher – he’s a role model to also gives advice on life to students for their futures to come,” said junior Elizabeth Comberg. “He helped me when I needed someone to talk to at school and has the amazing ability to tutor in just about any subject possible.” Mr. Herbig channels his passion for chemistry and his desire to make an impact in students lives into a diverse teaching style. He focuses on explaining content in a way that relates to the students themselves. His the lives of his students.
SILVER STAR
“I love this job because you can’t ever predict what’s going to happen. You can make to-do lists and goals, but all that has to be put aside when a student needs
Her openness and sincerity helps her form strong bonds with the students that improve their school experience as a whole. Junior Jedd Marrero feels Ms.Ibasco deserves the award because of her unwavering commitment to the kids at Stanton. “She has one of the biggest hearts here at Stanton. She’s always supportive and understanding of our needs and troubles. Without her, high school would be “My favorite thing about this job is the relationships I can build with the students. They inspire me,” said Ms.Ibasco. Her ability to engage with her students is one of her greatest strengths. “Kids come in here because they want to eat lunch with me. Who wants to eat with their guidance counselor? That just blows me away. I think it’s great,” said Ms. Ibasco. Her job often goes far beyond academic counselin and someone to vent to. She is a source of constant support. Ms. Ibasco handles the responsibility of helping students decide what to do with the rest of their lives with respect and excitement- something that makes her an enormous asset to Stanton.
devil’s advocate | 9