I am a senior at North Tonawanda High School, and I am going to be graduating in less than four months. Throughout all four of my years in high school, there has been one teacher who was always there when I needed her.

Sarah Lazewski, an English teacher here at the high school. I had her for English 9 in my freshman year, and I really enjoyed her class. Not only does she have a gift to teach the subject, but also she has a way about her that makes it fun and exciting and interesting. I, personally, love English so it is never boring for me. She makes herself into the image of someone our age, so that when we are learning from her, we feel like we are talking to one of our friends, and not a teacher. And because she does this, she is highly respected by many if not all of the students who had her.

After having her for an English teacher, I learned that no matter what, I could go to her for anything. Be it personal problems or school problems, she would always have a solution. And not only did she become a teacher that I could trust with anything, but she also became a very close friend—one whom I will never forget.

But aside from being a teacher, there are also many things that she does around the school.

For starters, for a season she was one of the coaches for the Rugby team that our school started, and was amazing at it.

She is currently an advisor for the Drama Club, where she encourages kids to express themselves in a way that will benefit others.

For two years, she taught the extended school day program, where she would give up her free time to give kids who needed it extra help.

For the past four years, she has participated in The Giving Tree at the school, which is a program run by the Guidance office. Teachers and staff use their personal money to but Christmas presents for kids whose families cannot afford them. And she does it generously. She goes above and beyond what is required for this program.

At the high school, every other year a certain group does a charity event, where teachers sign up and pay to participate in a basketball game against the Alumni Sabres, and for as long as I have been in the school, she has paid and participated both times they did it. And she plays amazingly.

Every year at our school, we do a pep rally during our homecoming week. We call it T-NT week which is the week of the big football game of the season. And one year, the coordinators of the rally organized a contest amongst the teachers. It was: whoever raised the most money for Kids Escaping Drugs would get to participate in the contest. Well, Miss Lazewski was the one who raised the most money, so she was able to participate. But it turned out that the contest was a literal ‘pie in the face,’ and she did it willingly. She would do anything for charity.

And the last thing is, during the summer, she gives up her free time, to be a summer school English Teacher.

Sarah Lazewski really is deserving of this honor. For I have never seen a more selfless teacher in all of my years going to school. She will go to any length to do anything for you, no matter what she will lose or have to do in the process. She is certainly someone who I would trust with my life if I would ever have to, and she will always be someone special to me.