A huge part of everyday life at Davie is the teachers’ quirks and habits. Whether teachers preach their love of plants to everyone or students know they are besties, they deserve to be showcased for these idiosyncrasies. During the last week of school, teachers and students were given the chance to vote on teacher superlatives, and these are the results.  

Most Likely to Win a Pickleball Tournament: Matthew Gould

Many students know Matthew Gould as an Earth and physical science teacher. And others are lucky enough to know him on a deeper level while playing football for Davie. Gould shows students, staff, and Davie football fans his support in numerous ways, but most of the time you will see him in the classroom, at after-school practices, or on the sidelines at Friday night football games. His competitive nature helps him push his students and players each day, making him the clear choice to win this award. 

Teacher Who Should’ve Been a Stand-Up Comedian: Lester Robinson

When pulling up to the car rider line bright and early, the last thing you expect to see is a teacher lifting one weight and wearing a bucket hat but lo and behold, that’s what’s right in front of you. This is Lester Robinson, a math teacher at Davie who is known for his outstanding work in the classroom where he always makes lessons chaotic and hilarious. Many students and staff adore Robinson’s humor, leading him to a clear victory in this category. In Robinson’s future, he is moving to Belgium to teach. All of Davie hopes they appreciate our comedian like we do. 

Teacher with the Coolest Room: Will Miner

Students’ interest in robotics has brought Davie’s creative teacher, Will Miner to the school. Miner has many enhanced technological skills that he shares with his students each day. With his six years of experience, he has gained many fascinating robots that he and his students have made and used. Considering all of his entertaining machines covering his walls and floors, it is no surprise that many would consider his room the coolest. He continues to inspire students with his creative environment daily. 

Most Likely to Secretly Work for the Government: Jason Ward

An intelligent science teacher everyone knows but few know much about is Jason Ward. While many know Ward for his time helping students with assignments and expanding their understanding of science, not much else is known about him. It begs the question: who is he really working for? This secretive nature makes him the perfect candidate for a government spy.

Teacher with the Scariest Mom Glare: Robin Seamon

Many of the teachers at Davie love students like their own kids, but sometimes this love results in a mom glare. Robin Seamon, an earth science teacher at Davie, is by far the best at this glare. Seamon has two sons, both Davie alumni, so she has plenty of practice with this glare. Despite her abilities in this area, though, she’s not glaring most of the time. Many students acknowledged her true love for science and art. In fact, before teaching earth and environmental science, she taught art. She continues that passion in her decorations for her classroom. But just know you might get the glare if you’re in her classroom. 

Most Likely to Be Mistaken as a Student: Officer Hunter Snow

While walking through the hallways, many students wave to others until they realize they waved to an SRO Officer. This interaction shows the presence of Hunter Snow in his work setting. His younger demeanor lets him truly blend in through the halls of Davie. With these attributes, he was presented as the most likely to be mistaken as a student superlative.

Most Likely to Make Sarcastic Comments: Collin Ferebee

While sitting in your science class watching the minutes tick by, students can always count on Collin Ferbee to make a sarcastic comment to provoke laughs. These comments aren’t only heard in the classroom; they are heard on the field and court while he coaches the women’s soccer and tennis teams. The girls love that he keeps it real.

Teacher Who Gives the Best Advice: Shane Young

When needing someone to talk to or just to listen, many students go to Shane Young. But Young doesn’t just teach students about the principles of business, he teaches them about life. By sharing the lessons he has learned from his personal experiences, students count on him to lead them in the right direction. If Young has lived through that experience, he is determined to stop his students from making those same mistakes. He is always open to conversation and will give the best advice.

Teacher Who Needs to Get More Sleep: Zach Wood

One of the beloved history teachers here at Davie is Zach Wood, and everyone came to the conclusion that he needed much, much more sleep. On May 22, 2024, he showcased the Military History museum he organized with the help of fellow history teacher Corbin Kopetzky. If you were to walk into the Learning Commons the night before, you would find Wood, Kopetzky, and Ferebee setting up until two am. The museum included artifacts like books, newspapers, and uniforms from various military conflicts. It also provided many veterans with the chance to speak to high school students. That’s not the only way Wood has given Veterans a platform to speak to students, he also interviews on his YouTube channel. This alone takes up so much time, but beyond this, he also coached JV women’s soccer for the first time this year. All in all, he’s involved in so much that he needs more free time to sleep. 

Most Likely to Adopt Their Class: Laura Doub

A bright and shining face that everyone passes in the third-floor history hallway is Laura Doub (or more famously, Miss K) who was undoubtedly most likely to adopt their class. Mrs Doub teaches AP world history and AP us history with many students having them both in their sophomore and junior years. This gives her plenty of time to get to know her students and for her students to get to know her. Most of her students get to know things about her, like that she loves all things Taylor Swift and Tom Hanks and loves her interesting history unit. With her love and time spent with these students, she would definitely adopt them all. 

Most Likely to Open Their Own Coffee Shop: Kaitlin Dancy

One teacher you will always see with a mug in her hand is one of Davie’s Spanish teachers, Katilin Dancy. This habit of hers is why she was voted most likely to own a coffee shop. Dancy uses this delicious caffeinated drink to help her sing at her church, which is one of her interesting out-of-school hobbies. She spends many hours studying and working on her own schoolwork as she takes on her dream of becoming a counselor. For these reasons, Dancy was seen best fit for owning a coffee shop.

Teacher with the Most School Spirit: Kamryn Harris

Many teachers at Davie are overflowing with school spirit, but one remained victorious in this category: history teacher Kamryn Harris. Harris is beloved throughout the school and is also known for her Instagram page. On this page, she posts student work and her adventures at Davie’s many sports events or arts performances. While all students know she has this school spirit as a teacher, some might not know this has been true since she was a student at Davie. While a student, she also showed her passion for Davie as editor of the yearbook. She is always sitting in the audience supporting her students’ endeavors. Some argue that this is the true meaning of school spirit. 

Most Likely to Live in a Greenhouse: Donna Dunn

In the English hallway, there is always one classroom decorated with plants, and that classroom belongs to English teacher Donna Dunn. Dunn has been a staple in the English department for more than thirty years and has taught a huge number of the students Davie has graduated. While in her class, you will learn about how her weekends are spent in her beloved garden.  She has a passion for cultivating both her students and her plants. This garden might as well be considered her home, and a garden is close enough to a greenhouse for our purposes. 

Most Likely to Be Able to Fix Anything: Jesse Ledbetter

When you walk on through school, your overalls break, and you desperately need a teacher to come save you, Jesse Ledbetter comes to the rescue. This is one of the many instances that led to Ledbetter getting voted most likely to be able to fix anything. Ledbetter is one of the amazing CTE teachers at Davie, but beyond his work in the classroom, he also puts his heart and soul into FFA. He is often seen tending to the beehives behind the school, and he puts in the work year-round. All of this hard work and the amount of care he shows make him a stellar recipient of this award. 

Most Likely to Win Jeopardy: Matt Barker

While in an English 2 class with Matt Barker, a student will learn not only grammar and how to analyze texts but also an extreme amount of random facts. This is why Barker was voted most likely to win Jeopardy. He creates his class atmosphere around making English enjoyable. Whether with News and Worldviews discussions, Genius Hour projects, or Grammar Games, students are always learning. With Barker teaching all of these important topics to prepare students for their final exam, he always makes sure to add in his random tidbits of knowledge in his lessons. During the first couple weeks of his class, many students are surprised to find themselves learning about character arcs by watching Marvel movies. While students not only learned the different arcs, they also marveled at Barker’s knowledge of the cinematic universe. In areas like these and many more, Barker always seems to have an obscure fact or random bit of information to drop into his teaching or even casual conversation. This knowledge he shares would one hundred percent lead him to a Jeopardy victory. 

Best Teacher Besties: Kamryn Harris and Meranda Shoemaker

Almost everyone has someone they consider their best friend, but not many work with them. While Davie has their fair share of teacher besties, Kamryn Harris and Meranda Shoemaker were voted to be the best teacher besties. Harris and Shoemaker are two of Davie’s history teachers who have left their mark not only as besties but as the resident teacher Swifties. Almost everyone knows them and knows them together, so it’s no surprise that they won the best teacher besties. 

These superlatives only highlight some of the teachers at Davie, but everyone who works at that school deserves their own award. The Weekly Talon extends a huge thank you to every member of the Davie staff. Whether next year these teachers are moving classrooms, schools, or countries, the impact they made on students this year will not soon be forgotten. 

Photography by Kat Woodruff-Carter, Andrea Keller, Lila Moore, Raela Wanek, and Jessica Chavez