Captain Noah Konheim, who has been playing soccer for 13 years, gives insight, in the interview below, into the Solon High School boys’ soccer team’s teacher appreciation night, where they choose a teacher to walk across the field and appreciate.
Q: How did your team pick which teachers to invite?
A: All the seniors pick…we picked one teacher that really stood out to us and made an impact on us whether it was in the classroom, outside the classroom or anything like that
Q: Which teacher did you choose to appreciate and why?
A: I chose Mrs. Speelman because I’ve known her and her son for the better part of my life. I want[ed] her to be at the game because her son was on my club team when we were younger, so we’re family friends, and she was a great teacher.
Q: Did your teacher seem excited or nervous about being asked?
A: She was really excited. She felt honored.
Q: How did it feel personally to honor that teacher in that way?
A: It feels good to do something that someone else can appreciate and know you’re doing something good for someone else.
Q: Do you think your teacher was surprised you picked them?
A: No, not really, because we had talked about it for a couple of years.
Q: Was it weird mixing school life with soccer life?
A: No, because it’s been like that. When I had her [as a teacher], I was on the same team as her son.
Q: What goes on during the night?
A: 30 minutes before the game, we line up all the teachers on the field and announce them. The seniors walk out with their teacher of choice.
Q: What was it like walking out with your teacher in front of everyone?
A: It felt great. It was a great way to honor Mrs. Speelman, and I felt proud to walk out with her.
Q: Did the game feel different since it was a special night?
A: Yeah, it felt different. There was definitely extra motivation since our teachers were there. It was almost like we were playing to win but also playing for our teachers.
Q: Would you encourage other athletes to have a similar appreciation night for their teachers?
A: I would definitely encourage it because teachers deserve to be recognized for all they do for us off the field.
Q: What does this tradition mean to you now that you’re a senior and you’ve experienced it?
A: Before it felt like another distraction, but now, after being a part of it, it feels great to honor a teacher of my choice and to hear our names on the PA together.
Join the boys soccer team as they look to win the suburban league conference. Their next home game is Sept. 24, against their rivals, the Twinsburg Tigers.
