National women’s day falls on March 8th this year honoring the amazing women who have had an impact on all of our lives. At River Dell High School, there are dozens of amazing women who put their all into their teaching and touch students hearts tremendously. One teacher that brings her enthusiasm and energy to class every single day is Mrs. Kantanas, a special ed-chemistry teacher at River Dell High School.
Mrs. Kantanas shows up to school every day with enthusiasm and excitement, which keeps the students engaged and entertained. Her ability to breakdown material and clear up confusion is very helpful for students and beneficial with such an important subject.
One sophomore, Lunna Casasola, shares what it’s like having Mrs. K as a teacher. “Mrs. K is a very outgoing and loving teacher. She always finds a way to entertain our class and goes above and beyond for her students.” While chemistry can be a challenging subject at times, Lunna adds that having Mrs. K in her classroom gives the students a good laugh and a break from all the stress with her constant jokes throughout the period.
Beyond her incredible teaching skills and ability to entertain her classes every day, she also has a big heart and a great amount of sympathy , especially when it comes to a student’s well-being. She always cheers her students on and gives them resources and extra help throughout the day during lunch one, in the morning, and during free periods she may have.
Not only is she helpful to students, teachers also love working with Mrs. Kantanas in their classes as well. One, for example, is Mrs. Dunn. Together, Mrs. Dunn and Mrs. Kantanas teach chemistry to sophomores. Mrs. Dunn shares, “Mrs. K. makes class so much fun while still teaching her students. What I love most is how much she really cares about her students—she takes the time to get to know each student so she can help them in the way they need whether it’s with class work or just being there to listen. You can just tell she wants everyone to do their best and feel good about being in her class.”
On a personal level for both students and teachers, Mrs. Kantanas is a friendly face in the building, even if they don’t have her as a teacher. She shows up to sporting events such a wrestling matches, meets parents personally, talks to students about their lives outside of school, and shares sympathy and advice when a student may need it.
On top of being a teacher, she also is the 2027 class advisor and does a phenomenal job planning events and putting effort into making them super fun. With the sophomore social coming up, she has been preparing and planning for March 20th far in advance. Eric Raimondi, the 2027 class president, explains “Mrs. Kantanas always gets ahead on every task and collaborates with others very well. She is on top of everything needed as a class advisor. Recently, we sent out the forms for the sophomore social and prepared everything needed for the event.”
Mrs. Kantanas is an inspiration to all in the River Dell community and is the teacher that every school needs to get through difficult days. Along with being a great teacher, she’s also an amazing mentor and a student’s best friend during a difficult time in their lives.
