When I first decided to take Spanish III, I was nervous; actually, nervous is a bit of an understatement. I’m going to be honest: I didn’t know Spanish. Quite frankly, I had BSed my way through Spanish II and barely scraped by the end of year exam. So walking into class on the first day of sophomore year and spotting Edward and Gerardo, my heart sank. But soon I realized that Mrs. Belanger’s Spanish class isn’t your typical class; there are no desks, no extra or unnecessary exams simply created to stress you out, and above all there’s no judgement. I never thought Spanish could be a subject that made my heart skip a beat; at least, not in the good way. But sure enough, every time I saw Spanish was my next class, I became excited and couldn’t wait for a fun, interactive class. We did everything from dancing to watching one of my now all-time-favorite tv shows (even if it was in Spanish). But above all, Mrs. Belanger’s kindness, compassion, and pure dedication to her students shines through in everything she does. She would meet with us at any time of day and she would always go beyond her “job” to help us understand the material and ensure we were still having fun in her class. She sees her students as real, authentic teenagers.

There’s no better example of this than in our advisory. Our advisory is composed of me, Sarah, Arieta, Val, Ivori, Jada, and of course the star, Mrs. Belanger. I’ve never been in an advisory before that’s so perfectly balanced. I know it’s hard to imagine me complaining, but in our advisory that’s about all we do; and Mrs. Balnger, bless her heart, endures it every day with a smiling face and a compassionate heart. She holds a rare talent in her ability to find the positive in any situation, while remaining sympathetic and understanding with our admittedly sometimes petty “problems”. She always has realistic and helpful solutions and is more than willing to get her own hands dirty to help us succeed. Mrs. Belanger has gone above and beyond for me this year as more than an advisor; she’s become a friend, a therapist, a second mom, a shoulder to lean on, and a role model.

Mrs. Belanger, I hope you know that your hard work, your devotion, your personable nature, and your extremely compassionate heart don’t go unnoticed. You are one of the most sympathetic and selfless people I have ever met, and you have helped me through so many things. You know more about me and my struggles than any one at school and I’m so beyond grateful to have such a caring and loving support on my side. I can’t thank you enough for all the hours we’ve spent talking, all the days and days you’ve dealt with our advisors during our hardest days, and all the times you’ve helped us through everything from college applications to essays to tests to personal situations. Mrs. Belanger you truly are my superhero and I am so eternally grateful for everything you’ve done for me <3