This year’s highlighted Faculty of the Fall is none other than the beloved science teacher, Mrs. Puskas. Mrs. Puskas is a science teacher who specializes in chemistry. She helped form many students’ understanding of the complex study.
We asked multiple of Puskas’s students what makes her such an outstanding and special teacher. Needless to say, they had a lot to share.
A student who took Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry with Puskas last year, but wishes to remain anonymous, believes that Puskas shines above all teachers because she surpasses simply “knowing” her material. Her knowledge about chemistry is nothing but inspiring, and she mastered how to relay her skills onto her students.
“Chemistry is not an easy topic to comprehend. Despite AP Chem’s notoriously high level of difficulty, Puskas motivated every student to persevere and pass the 2023 AP national exam. She is dedicated to helping her students whenever she can, providing as many opportunities as possible to support her students’ success”.
“She gives out way more worksheets than anyone would need in case someone wants as much study material as possible, and she hosted Panera Bread study sessions before the AP exams to allow the most amount of prep. She even made goodie baskets for the entire class
during the exam.” All of these compassionate acts contributed to the student’s success. Puskas’s class is unique because she never fails to create a positive atmosphere, where learning is both creative and fun. A class as rigorous as AP Chemistry transformed into one that everyone could survive.
Another former AP student, Cecelia Ciaverelli, expressed gratitude, stating that “Mrs. Puskas is very helpful and explanatory if you get confused on anything”.
Ciaverelli explained that with a course as complex as AP Chem, it is extremely helpful that Mrs. Puskas stays for after-school help. In the library, Puskas thoroughly assists any chemistry student, including those who aren’t in her class. She impacts students beyond her own, out of her kindness and compassion.
Kai Patel, a junior and Puskas’s former student, proclaimed that she couldn’t begin to embody all of the positivity into coherent words. Patel illustrated, “Mrs. Puskas brought such good energy everyday to class, she genuinely wanted all of her students to understand what [they] were learning, and she’s truly a teacher that I would never forget with her brightening smiles.”
Puskas also is one of the teachers who coordinate the Teacher of the Month Award. She voices her appreciation for her outstanding colleagues and ensures that they get the recognition they deserve. Her thoughtfulness and generosity are attributes that make Mrs. Puskas a teacher that rises above the rest.
