By Meghan Carey
Staff writer
June 09, 2008 06:00 am PLAISTOW — When Siobahn Evans took her math placement test at college orientation last week, a little song about the quadratic formula came in handy. Evans, 18, of Sandown had trouble with math until she had teacher Lorraine Mascioli her sophomore year at Timberlane Regional High School. Mascioli's creative teaching methods, which sometimes involved singing, gave Siobahn the boost she needed to conquer algebra and get into the Math Honor Society. "Her passion really helped to motivate me," Evans said. "She had so much energy in class. She always had fun and interesting ways for us to memorize formulas and stuff like that." As part of being recognized as the top rankers in this year's senior class, 10 students were invited to a dinner last night at the Atkinson Country Club. They were each asked to invite their most influential teacher to accompany them and their families to the banquet. Each teacher took a turn to speak about their student through accolades and humorous anecdotes. The dinner is a 12-year tradition Principal Don Woodworth has carried on because he knows how special it is as a teacher to be honored. When he was teaching Advanced Placement English in the mid-1990s, Woodworth said a student chose him to go to the banquet. He sang a unique version of "If I Only Had a Brain," changing the lyrics to be about the student. "Every year, it's probably my favorite night because it gets that bond between a favorite teacher and a top student explained and exposed," he said. "These kids are on a fast pace to very successful futures." That bond is created through similar personalities and unique teaching methods, according to this year's guests. Mascioli said she and Evans share a number of personality traits — lively, vivacious and sharp, to name a few — that helped them to relate to one another. In 15 years of teaching, it was the first time Mascioli was invited to the dinner, and she was shocked that it was by a student she hadn't taught for two years. It goes to show how lasting the bond between a student and teacher can be. "You just hope that you've made an impact on them," she said. "It's incredibly sentimental to me. ... I feel complete." French teacher Sandy Allaire had a similar impact on Stephanie Barrett. The 18-year-old Plaistow student said they related because they are both perfectionists. That's the best thing a teacher can do to inspire a student, she said. "If they know me a little bit better, then I strive to do better so they maintain that opinion of me," Barrett said. While Barrett and Evans had their teachers for just one year, Emily Debaun, 18, of Sandown picked someone she'd learned from since the sixth grade — music teacher Louise Pajak. From her, Debaun said, she's learned much more than just how to play the violin and viola. "I've had her for seven years and she's definitely a teacher, but also a mentor and almost a friend in some ways," Debaun said. Their relationship works both ways — Pajak's teaching style allowed Debaun to grow as a musician and Debaun became the "backbone" of Pajak's orchestra. Pajak's style of letting students take creative control when learning a piece of music allowed her to see many sides of Debaun over the years. She called her, "a fabulous human being with a quirky sense of humor," whom she will miss. "It's very emotional, too," Pajak said. "This is it. It's the end of their careers."
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