Ms. Morales, a Spanish language teacher, will be retiring at the end of this year. She has been with Mepham students for over 20 years. As a student who had her freshman year, I can say that she will be missed.

Ms. Morales had a true passion for teaching and was so kind to her students. I remember many of the cultural aspects of language that she would teach us, not because they were needed for standardized testing, but because learning the poem, “La Plaza Tiene Una Torre” by Antonio Machado, would feed our enthusiasm about the Spanish language. Ask any former students of Ms. Morales if they recall this poem, and they will recite a few lines of it. That is the impact Ms. Morales had on all of us.

Ms. Morales’ creative style of teaching did not end there. She had students create a song with a music video to learn their commands.

Junior Alyssa Dioguardi, a student who was in freshman year Spanish with Ms. Morales, said: “I loved getting to know Ms. Morales as a person. I still use the song project she had us do when I have to re-learn the commands.”
Matthew Singh, another junior who had Ms. Morales freshman year, stated: “She always wanted to teach morality, values and life skills rather than just a curriculum. Her dedication to influencing her students in any way is something that will remain unmatched.”

Ms. Morales had a profound effect on the Spanish learning experience of many Mepham students, one that we will all remember throughout our lives. We wish Ms. Morales a “feliz despedida” or a happy goodbye. And as all former Ms. Morales students would say: “Vaya con Dios.”