Out of all the teachers at Freedom High School, there was one that proved to be unrivaled. Freedom High School’s English teacher and very first AP Capstone teacher, Mrs. Lewandowksi, won the wonderful title of Teacher of the Year.

“This is my first time winning,” Mrs. Lewandowksi said. “I think it is humbling to be recognized by my peers.”

Teachers from Freedom High School nominate their peers and then administration chooses the top three of the general election. After the top three are chosen, the teachers vote who should be teacher of the year.

“I am really happy that she won. She is a really good and dedicated teacher. I am fortunate to have had her for two years. She is also really organized, unlike some teachers, and that makes less stress for students,” said junior Terry Tan.

Since she was a little girl, teaching has always been the career that she aspired to be. Not to mention, she has always enjoyed reading and developed a love for reading the classics.

“When I was little I always wanted to be a teacher. I would even play teacher with my stuffed animal,” Lewandowski said.

After graduating from Appalachian State University, she moved down to Florida and immediately received a job offer from Freedom.

“I had to think about it [when she was offered the job]. I had to call my mom and she searched up Freedom online and told me that it looks nice and it had a nice courtyard,” Lewandowski said laughingly. “After that I accepted the job.”

It’s now been 11 years and Mrs. Lewandowksi has proved her loyalty to the school and her students. She loves teaching high school students, due to the connection and relationships she can build with them.

“I like the relationships I build with students in high school. I am able talk about real issues. Adolescence involves a lot of personal growth and I want to contribute in a positive way,” she said.

In addition to winning Teacher of the Year, Mrs Lewandowksi has fulfilled many other achievements, for example, she brought the new AP class, AP Capstone to Freedom. Not only is she successful on paper, but her students always excel on standard and state tests.

“I don’t know specific numbers, but I have high amounts of students who did well on state tests,” said Lewandowski.

Over the years, she has learned her true passion is teaching and hopes to stay a high school teacher until retirement.

“Like how doctors practice medicine and lawyers practice law, I think of teaching as a practice,” She added, “each day is a new lesson.”