High school years aren’t easy when you constantly seem to be busy--whether it is at home, with friends, on the field, or in the classroom. But when an educator takes time out of their day to connect with you, it means a lot.

I am lucky to call Mrs. Martin, a physical education and health teacher, my coach. (I would say her third job is all 5’5” of her running around after her two children.) Having her both as my coach and my teacher, I have always felt that she sees me. She makes an effort to learn about me, my interests, and what is going on in my life. There are no surprises when she asks me about something that might have happened during the school day -- I swear she knows everything.

I will never forget being up on the varsity softball diamond junior year, when she saw me struggling and knew something was wrong. Coach Martin walked out to centerfield while the rest of the team continued to take ground balls and asked, “What’s going on today? Everything okay?” We talked for ten minutes about a conflict I was having off the field and how I could fix it. She always knows what to say -- whether it’s advice, criticism, good news, or bad news.

As the coach of the varsity softball team, her enthusiasm and love for the game makes playing for her team simply special. There’s nothing more fun than rounding second and seeing her jumping up and down the third base line, waving her arms, doing everything she can -- except run for you -- to get you to the next base. It is always encouraging to get the, “You had a great game last night! Keep it up” text from her. Knowing that Coach Martin has confidence in me makes my game that much better.

With all this said, I am nominating Mrs. Martin for this award. She has been someone I have looked up to for the past four years and been a true role model in my life. There is no doubt that as I continue on in my softball career and in life that I will take with me the lessons she taught me. She has helped shape me into the woman I am today. And that is why I am proud to call her Coach.