class of 21

I talked to many teachers from Potosi High School about their favorite memories of the graduating Class Of 2021. I mixed it up a little bit and got different perspectives from everyone. There were some teachers who have known us since the beginning, and then the other teachers are teachers that are with us now. It is very interesting to hear the memories of our class. My question to these teachers was “What was your favorite memory with this class and why?” I got many different responses.

The first response was from Mr. Brett Cummins, the fourth grade teacher at Potosi Elementary school. “They are all my favorite memories in different ways because you all have a special place in my heart!” said Cummins. Another elementary teacher who I interviewed was Mrs. Millie Uppena, the Second grade teacher at Potosi Elementary, and her favorite memory was, “Having Mystery Readers be their moms, dads, and other relatives and getting their Two by Two pets in 2nd Grade.” That was something that has stuck with the senior class for a long time. Two by Two was a fun and organized project that all second graders get an opportunity to do. You get to take a stuffed animal cat or dog home and “feed” them and take care of them. You log what you did for two weeks, and then when the end of the two weeks is up you get to keep your pet. 

When I asked Mr. Jason Fry, the English teacher at Potosi High School, he kept the topic of his favorite memory personal. This class has been with Mr. Fry since the beginning of high school. We have grown and made a lot of memories since then. “I have a lot of fun memories with this class, but one of my favorites is from the end of the forensics season when you guys were sophomores. A group of students were hanging out in my classroom after school before we left for state competition in Madison. A few weeks after our conversation about shoes, the group surprised me with a pair of Converse you had all chipped in to buy for me as a gift. I wear those shoes all the time and it just reminds me of the kindness and generosity I see in that group of students, and often in your whole class.” 

Jolene Murray’s memory was based on the volleyball team and all the memories she had with those girls. She has had a huge impact on the lives of the Potosi volleyball girls. “My memory would come from the recent years of coaching the girls who did volleyball and that group being part of the reason I came back to coaching.  Having this group of students, since 6th grade, I knew what amazing personalities they had and what hard workers they were.” Murray said. 

Mr. Eastlick’s memories focus on the classroom and the academics with the senior class. “The joy of teaching Biology to all of you, each day during your sophomore year.” That biology class will forever be in the Class of 2021’s hearts. Mr. Eastlick definitely knew how to keep it interesting. 

I followed up with all the teachers by asking “What are they going to remember the class by?” Mr. Cummins responded with, “I am going to remember this class by how kind they were to one another and how hard they worked inside and outside the classroom!  I will remember the fun you had in the classroom and on the athletic fields.  I will remember how much joy you brought me in being great kids!!” That feeling is definitely mutual, Mr. Cummins is a very kind man and a great teacher. The class will miss him as well. 

Mrs. Uppena has been at Potosi schools since we were all in kindergarten; she has seen us grow into young adults. She is always so smiley and happy when we see her in the hallways. “I will always remember how kind they were and how they would say hi to me anytime they'd see me in the halls.” Mrs. Uppena is always someone with a smile on her face and waiting to greet everyone when they walk into the doors. The class will miss all the fun adventures made in her classroom. 

 Mr. Fry is the teacher we go to for emotional support. We have all always been open and honest with him, and the feeling is definitely reciprocated. “I think I'm going to remember sharing deep discussions and just having fun, joking around, and still learning a lot. I feel like I can, and have, shared a lot about myself with this class, so I will miss that connection that I feel like I have. They will always be the first class I had all four years at Potosi.“ Mr. Fry has definitely been a huge help to the fifth hour Journalism class with the severe cases of senioritis. 

Mrs. Murray has been helping the girls with their skills in volleyball since the beginning of middle school all the way to the end of our high school career. We are and always will be supportive to our coach. “I am going to remember the support that these girls gave me after finding out I needed to have brain surgery and that support helped me get through it with more ease.” The Volleyball girls definitely have a really close relationship with the coach, and she will be missed next year. The girls have always gone to the coach to have a laugh and will continue to be there for her if she needs it. 

Mr. Eastlick said that he was going to remember the senior class by their help in creating his now famous saying: “That sounds like a you problem.” Every single time the seniors see him, and he is always roasting someone, we turn around and say, “That sounds like a you problem.”  I'll always remember how they helped me create one of my helpful sayings, "Sounds like a you problem". The senior class now uses that for everything because of Mr. Eastlick. That will be a phrase that will stick with us for a long time as well. 

The last question I had for the teachers was “What was the best thing about watching the senior class grow?” This is the one where things get emotional as everything is coming to an end for the seniors. So, this question really hit home for me. Mr. Cummins' response to this question was, “It seems almost unreal because I have seen you grow from 4th graders to seniors.  I am proud of each one of you and am so lucky I had a chance to be a part of your lives!  I feel old when thinking you are all seniors, but am very hopeful because I know you all can and will do amazing things in your lifetime!  I can’t wait to see what you all do!  I’m excited for you all!!!” It does really seem unreal that we are all graduating. 

Mrs. Uppena said, “I loved watching them in sports and other activities and seeing them mature into young adults ready to move on to their next chapter in life.” Mrs. Uppena did come to a lot of sporting events and cheered us on all the way through middle school and high school. 

Mr. Fry responded with, “It's a little like watching my own kids grow up. I get so used to seeing these students every day that I don't always notice how much they have grown and grown up over the last four years. I sometimes have those moments of remembering students as freshmen and feeling really proud to see how much they have matured and grown and learned over the last four years.” Mr. Fry has been like the school dad for anyone that needed to rant or just relax and get away from all the stresses going on in the world or school, especially through this senior year. Nobody expected the whole world to shut down because of a worldwide pandemic, and he has been a huge help in the mental component of school this year. 

Mrs. Murray has seen us grow throughout the years and she has seen us grow into young adults, and she has been a huge help on and off the court. The last person that wanted to say something was Mr. Eastlick and he wanted to say that, “All of the learning about living things that was going on that year...made me proud. It was fun to see you mature, change, and become better versions of yourselves.” Mr. Eastlick is a very cool guy who has made school a lot easier for people. He became close with the senior football boys as he was a coach for Potosi. 

Thank you to Potosi High School and all the faculty that has made this year, and all the other years, memorable. One piece of advice for the underclassmen would be that it really does fly by so live it up to the fullest, and go to the teachers they will help you. Thank you to the teachers that took the time to respond to my questions. You guys have helped us a lot. Class of 2021 couldn’t have done it without you guys.