Smoke Signals illustrator, Derek Scott, has created a new goal for himself. This school year, he wants to take on the challenge of getting to know some of our teachers so that he can inform more people on the outstanding teachers we have throughout the building.

It doesn’t take a lot to get along with Mr. Shepherd. He’s a “Sci-Fi Geek” who’s married with two boys, which makes him very relatable as an authoritative figure. After asking him what makes the best student, he told me that honesty and enthusiasm matter more than anything, that’s all. While talking to him I couldn’t help but wonder why he’d want to be around kids 24/7 if he already had two kids of his own. He said that while growing up as an older sibling he already had to set a good example, and so his inherent urge to be someone to look up to is his drive to be the best teacher he could be. He may seem like a laid-back teacher who doesn’t care to some but that is far from reality. He takes class as seriously as a teacher should. If you don’t believe me, believe the EOC scores, which have increased greatly thanks to him. In the end, Mr. Shepherd is a teacher who not only does what he needs to do as a teacher, but he cares while doing it. That’s why he’s this month’s Teacher Feature.