Paws Applause:
Shippensburg Alumna, Karissa Fleagle Darius, sent the following letter to Mr. Levy recently and asked that it be shared. See her letter below which confirms that teachers both teach and inspire!!
Praise to Ms. Darius for taking the time to write and share this letter.
Boonsboro High
To the Faculty and Staff in the Shippensburg Area School District:
Hello, my name is Karissa Darius. Many of you may remember me by the name of Karissa Fleagle. I graduated
from SASD five years ago. Upon graduating high school, I attended Liberty University where I received my
B.S. in Mathematics. I am now going into my second year of teaching math at the high-school level. Becoming
an educator has opened my eyes to how much teachers actually do for their students. We love our students and
would do anything to help them succeed. We spend countless hours planning, grading, and planning some
more. Why do we do it? We do it because we want to make a difference in our students’ lives. With that, I
would like to say thank you to all the faculty and staff in the Shippensburg Area School District who have
invested time towards my education. Thank you for the countless hours you spent preparing for my classes.
Thank you for being passionate about your content and for being willing to pass that knowledge onto me.
Thank you for the awesome activities that you had me participate in over the years. You have made such a
huge impact in my life. You saw my potential, and you challenged me to be the best student and the best person
that I could be.
I would like to say a special thanks to the following. These were my core content teachers over the course of
my K-12 experience:
Elementary School:
Kindergarten - Ms. Luke - You were awesome. I wish I remembered more from that year.
1st Grade - Mrs. Cummings - You helped me grow a passion for reading.
2nd Grade - Mrs. Wolfe - You taught me how to spell the word bro-c-c-oli.
3rd Grade - Mrs. Garland - You made me feel proud when my scuba-diver had a lot of stickers to represent my
progress throughout the year.
4th Grade - Mr. Barrett - I was always terrified of getting you as a teacher because you were big and always
slammed your teaching stick against the chalkboard. Turns out, you were awesome and gave us candy.
5th Grade - Mrs. Barnhart - You helped me strive to do my best, and if my scores fell, you would say, “Wrong
way, peachfuzz.”
10 Campus Avenue, Boonsboro MD 21713 | P: 301-766-8022 | F: 301-766-8030 | www.wcps.k12.md.us
Boonsboro High
Middle School:
6th Grade - Mrs. Smith - You had us create cool projects and one of mine was about the effects of tornados.
6th Grade - Mrs. Davis - We wrote our own books that year. Mine was covered in velvet and I was so proud of
the story I had created. Also, team Megara won.
7th Grade - Ms. Johnson - You took on two long-term sub positions the year I had you, so I remember you as
both my awesome science teacher and as my awesome math teacher.
7th Grade - Ms. Reinhart - You came back from Asia and told us all kinds of stories from your trip. I thought it
was so cool that you went to a different country.
7th Grade - Mrs. Rotz - I had you for both math and homeroom, but for only half the year. You kept us up to
date on how you and the baby were doing during the second half of the year.
7th Grade - Mrs. Hoover - You inspired me to go above and beyond in English class. For one of our projects I
actually designed a T-shirt instead of just drawing on a paper cutout.
7th Grade - Mr. Bradford - I was always kept up-to-date on current events in your class because you made sure
that we were informed citizens.
8th Grade - Mrs. Leedy - My love for math really grew in your class. It was both challenging and rewarding.
8th Grade - Mr. Peters - Your class was awesome, but what I remember most was your enthusiasm about the
essay that I wrote that year. It was about my testimony and you made me feel so proud of my work.
8th Grade - Mr. Yocum - You made me feel important when you allowed me to grade quizzes for you as my
peers were finishing them.
8th Grade - Mr. Billings - I was so shocked when you showed us the sand that stayed dry even after being
submerged in water. Your class was an adventure.
High School:
9th Grade - Ms. Reed - You taught me about the different ecosystems and I was proud of the leaf-project we did
that year.
10 Campus Avenue, Boonsboro MD 21713 | P: 301-766-8022 | F: 301-766-8030 | www.wcps.k12.md.us
Boonsboro High
9th Grade - Ms. Minnich - I will always remember when you told us not to “ass-u-me” things.
9th Grade - Ms. Smith - You encouraged me to express my creative side when working on projects and poems.
9th Grade - Mr. Sassin - You always believed in my mathematical abilities. I absolutely loved Algebra 2.
10th Grade - Mr. Massara - You challenged me to memorize Brutus’ speech, and although it was terrifying to
have to recite it back to you, I’m glad that you forced me to step out of my comfort zone.
10th Grade - Mr. Kleese - You told my mom about a project I did for your class that you thought was amazing.
Your excitement about my project made me feel amazing as well.
10th Grade - Ms. Fahrney - Your class was where I had my first dose of proofs. Unfortunately those weren’t
the last.
11th Grade - Ms. Person - I always felt that you knew what it meant to relate with your students. It was never a
boring day when you kept us up-to-date on your brother’s wedding situation.
11th Grade - Mr. Stoops - It was in your class that I realized I was comfortable speaking in front of my peers.
11th Grade - Mrs. Cote-Glander - I was so honored to student-teach by your side. You were my role-model.
12th Grade - Ms. Stewart - You helped my sister and I launch a club; thank you for your support.
12th Grade - Ms. Shirk - You are an extremely talented cake decorator. More than that, I always knew that you
supported me.
12th Grade - Mr. Zahos - I enjoyed how enthusiastic you were about your subject.
12th Grade - Mr. Pelow - Calculus was challenging and fun. Thank you for preparing me for college calculus.
I know that there were many, many more teachers that I had the pleasure of learning from. If you taught me a
subject that was extra-curricular, I would like to thank you. It was the extra-curricular classes that allowed me
to explore and expand my additional talents. With that being said, thank you Ms. Seitz, Ms. Underkoffler, Ms.
Gimmi, Mr. Wilson, Ms. Holt, Mr. Stoner, Mrs. Shrawder, Mr. Hubert, Mr. Hoover, Mr. Hawbaker, Mrs.
Solder, Mrs. Riep, Mr. Piper, Ms. Simmers, Mrs. Waddell, Mr. Hunsecker, Ms. Akers, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Haller,
Mrs. Johnson, Ms. King, Mr. Moravec, Mr. Swartz, Magister, Magistra, Mr. Martin, Ms. Maclay, Ms.
10 Campus Avenue, Boonsboro MD 21713 | P: 301-766-8022 | F: 301-766-8030 | www.wcps.k12.md.us
Boonsboro High
Robinson, Mr. Rosenberry, Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Debias, Mr. Miller, Mr. Cleveland, Ms. Mowers, and Mr.
Staver. Even though some of these teachers are no longer with us, I would like to say thank you to all who
invested in my education.
If you worked in the lunchroom, on the custodial staff, or were my bus driver, I would like to thank you. If you
were my administrator, thank you.
I couldn’t have imagined a better K-12 education. You were there for me every step of the way, and I hope that
I can continue your legacy by being there for my own students. I hope I can teach them the way you taught me.
I hope I can love them the way you loved me. I hope I can challenge them the way you challenged me.
Never doubt your influence in the lives of your students.
Sincerely,
Karissa Darius
Math Teacher | dariukar@wcps.k12.md.us
Boonsboro High School | WCPS
10 Campus Avenue, Boonsboro MD 21713 | P: 301-766-8022 | F: 301-766-8030 |