Ms. Neda Kuso was recently awarded Teacher of the Year by the Rotary Club of Arcadia. This award recognizes outstanding teachers who have had a positive impact on their students. 

Ms. Kuso has been teaching for over 10 years at Arcadia High School (AHS) and has taught AP Environmental Science (APES), Chemistry, Chemistry Honors, and AP Chemistry. She currently teaches APES and Chemistry Honors.

Teachers who are honored with this award go above and beyond to help their students achieve the most they can. Ms. Kuso strongly believes that a valuable learning experience often requires multiple minds working together and encourages students to interact with each other during class.

“To grasp concepts and go through the thinking process, I urge students to collaborate, which translates to doing a lot of group work,” said Ms. Kuso. “I tell stories and make connections with the real world and share my ways of memorizing the material. My classroom is a safe space to ask for help, and I encourage students to help each other out.”

Ms. Kuso understands that academic learning can seem like it’s all about memorizing vocabulary and equations, but wants to remind students that science is much more than that.

“Science is an amazing subject because it can explain what we notice in our everyday lives and allows us to come up with ways to solve problems we encounter,” said Ms. Kuso. “Learning is also more than just balancing equations and memorizing words, but it is also about growing as a person and learning how to effectively communicate with people in a variety of situations. 

A few of Ms. Kuso’s APES students gave a word about their admiration of her teaching and personality.

“AP Environmental Science with Ms.Kuso has been the most educational and fun class I have taken in all of high school,” said AHS junior Jaimie Lee. “Not only is Ms.Kuso an amazing educator, but she is an amazing overall human being as her charisma, creativity, and generosity towards her students shine bright.”

“Ms. Kuso’s method of teaching fully prepares you for the AP test while not swarming the student with work and helps educate awareness of environmental issues, not limited to only global warming, that still plague today,” said AHS junior Joanne Wong. “This efficiency allows for days where we’re allowed to spend time relaxing, such as with days fully dedicated to gardening or projects that aren’t overwhelming and still pertain to the unit while remaining consistently entertaining.”

“Ms. Kuso has been a very supportive teacher this year,” said AHS junior Angelyn Lee. “She always makes sure to help her students when they need help and is a great teacher. She explains the class materials in a way that students will understand by using personal examples, stories, and real-life situations. Overall, she has helped me understand the APES material very well and has shown that she cares for her students as well. 

“It comes as no surprise to me that Ms. Kuso was awarded this prestigious recognition; she truly is one of those rare teachers you come across and never forget,” said junior Anabelle El-Khoury. “Ms. Kuso is so incredibly passionate not just about what she teaches but also about how she teaches it, always seeking our opinions and input on what she can do to make her classroom the best it can possibly be. I am so grateful to Ms.Kuso for putting her students before herself, never stopping to do everything she can to make learning a positive experience for us. Despite having so many classes, Ms. Kuso always makes the time to ensure we feel seen and heard as individuals, and, for that, I couldn’t be more grateful to her.”

Ms. Kuso greatly appreciates receiving this award because it shows that her work is making a difference in students’ lives. Congratulations to Ms. Kuso for receiving Rotary Teacher of the Year!

Photo courtesy of Arcadia High School Administration