Throughout middle school and the beginning of high school, I was never really the kind of student that wanted to form close-knit bonds with my teachers. I was always satisfied with the pleasant and mundane exchange of their knowledge and my attention. However, come junior year, my nonchalant attitude towards the importance of scholastic figures in my life was stomped on by bright blue stilettos worn by none other than Ms. Laurie Fay.  

Everyone knows Ms. Fay is that [bleep]. She’s a woman who knows what she’s doing, she has the kind of confidence and personality that can’t help but rub off on you the more you get to know her. She’s so unabashedly herself and that mindset rarely fades, even when she’s teaching the intensive required curriculum of AP Lang is she able to make it her own in a sense. 

Taking AP Lang was probably the best decision I could have ever made. I never really had a passion for a specific school subject. I always did perfectly fine in English, it was the easiest A in my schedule, so I never took it too seriously. The transition from Pre-AP English courses to AP Lang was quite the wake-up call, but it wasn’t the intensity of the work that woke me up, it was the genuine love of learning the content, writing the timed writes, and having intense class discussions that opened my eyes to my passion of writing. I don’t think the class would’ve been as impactful as it was should I have been taught by anyone other than Ms. Fay.

Ms. Fay has been the biggest influence on my writing. She’s the reason I take such care, thought, and pride in what I write. Timed writes became weirdly addictive and I’d always chase the “high” of seeing my writing improve (and seeing my score increase). I savored the feedback I received from Ms. Fay, both the good and the bad. I’ll never forget one day in class she pulled me into Mr. Schott’s room with the most recent synthesis timed write I had done just to tell me how much she loved it. I think it was then that I realized how impactful my teachers can really be on me, because after that I never settled for anything less than my best. 

She opened my eyes to the writer I can be. Aside from the academic influence she’s had on my life, she’s also become an incredible figure to look up to. She’s the person I come to at school when I need advice, when I need support, and when I need to make my day better. She’s been my biggest supporter for the past year and a half and I’m so incredibly grateful for her. I genuinely don’t know who I would be today had Ms. Fay not been such an influential part of my high school career. 

I am lucky to have had Ms. Fay be the Mr. Keating to my Neil Perry, although this movie will end on a much happier note. 

-Tea Perez

Ms. Fay,

I am struggling to write this and encompass just how thankful I am to have met you.

When I walked into your room junior year, I had no idea I was meeting my biggest role model- the epitome of a badass. Apart from teaching me about argumentative writing, and SPACECAT, you have taught me many things I never knew I needed to learn. I feel that because of you, I am a better version of myself. You have pushed me to work hard, while also helping me realize that I cannot and should not do everything … unless I want it done right. You have never failed to humble me, or tell me how it is, and I respect the heck out of you for it. You are so unapologetically you, and I envy your confidence.

I want to thank you a million times over for everything you have done for me, everything you have pushed me to do, and everything you have put up with. From having me as a mediocre AP-Lang kid, to a TA, to then a mentor and NHS President, you have been with me for some of the craziest, most stressful times in my life, and have helped me through it all. Your room has always been a safe space for me, and even though teachers and students are not necessarily supposed to be friends, I think of you as mine. I aspire to be like you, and am so happy that I have been given the chance to know you. Thank you for everything.

-Riley Wania