By Katie Best
Managing Editor|
During the course of the current football season, a new teacher is honored each week in a pregame ceremony. These teachers are not chosen by head football coach Mike Sebestyen, but by the 14 senior football players. Each senior chose a teacher whom they appreciated and explain why in a speech they give before the football game of their given week. The presentation of these honors are split up between home games.
According to Sebestyen, he didn’t “come up with the grand plan” for having a teacher appreciation day.  The idea originally came from something former basketball coach Dominic Cannon did before games.
“We just expanded upon [Cannon’s idea],” Sebestyen said. “We invited everyone to a tailgate so it’s not just the 14 teachers that were chosen by our seniors.”
Sebestyen said the seniors really just wanted to thank their teachers for the time they invested in their students. One of these students is senior Jack Tobin, whose chosen teacher is social science teacher Brad Rathe.
Tobin chose Rathe as his teacher because “he’s a great teachers, super laid back” and teaches Tobin’s favorite class, World History. He believes the teacher appreciation nights are important because it is “a thank you for touching our lives.”
Math/Science Division Head Keith Bellof, who was chosen by senior Steven Isteefanos, also believes it is a thoughtful action to be appreciated by the players.
Not only are the teacher appreciation nights a good way to thank teachers, but according to Sebestyen, it also brings more staff out to the games, thus bringing more appreciation.
“It’s good for everyone to come out [to the games],” Sebestyen said. “It’s a way to say thank you for what [teachers] do.”