This morning in second hour, Spanish Teacher Brian Santos received the FHSD Teacher of the Year award. Santos was greeted in the upper-level hallway by all second hour World Language Classes, along with Superintendent Pam Sloan and other district and building administrators.

“This is a really big honor,” Santos said. “This isn’t just a reflection of myself, but also my colleagues and what I’ve learned from them over the years. It’s also of my awesome students as well who have given me this opportunity.”

Once a teacher becomes a building teacher of the year, they have the opportunity to embark upon the process of becoming District Teacher of the Year. A group of district employees analyze different teachers’ qualities such as how they manage the classroom and how well their students perform based on different activities.

“[Santos] makes the class very engaging by having us do various activities and games,” sophomore Daniel Mulawa said. “He really works to help everyone in the class understand the material we go over as best as he can.”

Santos never intended to teach, but he didn’t know what to do with his Spanish major, and after debating over several options, including psychology, Santos changed his major to Education. Last year, Santos was named the FHN Teacher of the Year. He is the Spanish Club Sponsor, a member of the FHN Tech Committee and recently performed in North Street Coffeehouse.

“He’s a fantastic teacher,” FHN Principal Andy Downs said. “He’s very serious about teaching, about his students and motivating them to achieve higher levels. He’s continuously working to hone his craft as a teacher. I could not be more excited for him.”