Top Of The Class 1997 -- Outstanding Grads, Extraordinary Teachers

We annually salute outstanding high-school seniors from each year's graduating class. This year, we build on that idea by also recognizing the excellent teachers who helped them get there. Last month, we asked students, parents and administrators to send their nominations for Top of the Class teachers and we received dozens. Yesterday, we honored four area high-school teachers at a luncheon sponsored by The Times. Each also received a $500 check to take back to their classrooms for use on projects to benefit their students. Meet our four outstanding teachers and several others who so impressed us that we had to give them recognition.

------------------------------ Teachers who make a difference ------------------------------

Clarence Acox, music, Garfield High School, Seattle.

He's the driving force behind years of prize-winning Garfield Jazz Ensembles, say parents and students. "He's open to new ideas. And he always finds opportunities for the kids to play," says volleyball coach Diane Taniguchi.

Brenda Allen, language arts, Seattle Evening High School.

"Without reservation an indispensable teacher in the truest sense of the word. . . . She is in the business of changing lives," says Patrick Gallagher, the school's administrative supervisor.

Suzanne Black, biology, Inglemoor High School, Bothell.

"Some teachers have the passion to teach, others the skills to do it effectively; Mrs. Black is blessed with both," writes student Paritosh Somani.

Vince DeMiero, English, photography, and adviser to Mountlake Terrace High School's prize-winning student newspaper The Hawkeye.

"I owe my successes in photography, academics, and, occasionally, sanity, to him. . . . We are all seeking a way to tell him "thank you" for touching our lives in the way he has, but mere words fall short of the deep gratitude we feel towards him for the time he has spent enlightening our minds and our hearts," writes Eric Nusser, student and Hawkeye photo and graphics editor.

Steve Marafino, math, Kentridge High, Kent School District.

"I get into a coaching mentality," says Marafino. "My tests are pretty hard; there's highs and lows. I tell the kids to keep trying, to understand your mistakes. A good teacher is really a good coach. Because you're dealing with human emotions. The high-end kids are gonna succeed. But it's really fun when you take a marginal kid who didn't have much confidence and have them pass."

Jim Mitsui, language arts, Oliver M. Hazen High, Renton School District.

Says Mitsui: "I use a quote from (Chilean poet) Pablo Neruda: `A great poet is a disturbance.' That applies to anybody who wants to be beyond average. It means being a little questioning, a little rebellious. I preach to students not to be safe, that they need to take chances. That's when they succeed, is when they're most vulnerable."

Tom Norris, math, Thomas Jefferson High, Federal Way School District.

"More than anything, one's ability to take a problem they've not seen and do it carries over to any field in life - more than any equation," Norris says. "That's the carry-over - the problem-solving ability. If they can gain that skill, they've got a life skill."

Rob Phillips, history and English, coach of several sports and head of the outdoor program at Seattle Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Applicants who visit his classes say one reason they want to attend Seattle Academy is "that great history teacher, Rob Phillips," reports Jean Orvis, school director.

Tom Rabak, history, Tiger Mountain Community High School, Issaquah.

Rabak "understands that people change and grow each and every day, that there is no beginning or end to learning, and that memorization is not the key to true knowledge and understanding," writes student Kate Conley.

Cathy Rutherford, music, Cleveland High School, Seattle.

"She is creative and resourceful . . . looking for educational excellence. . . . She made a difference in my life," says Jamie Madsen, one of 16 students who nominated Rutherford.