Sometimes compared to a fire-breathing dragon, Mr. Monden is arguably the most challenging and demanding biology and AP biology teacher a student can get. Still, as his students know, he is also one of the most committed and dedicated teachers one can have.

Without Mr. Monden as my AP biology teacher, I truly cannot imagine just how different my sophomore year would be. Yes, we students have spent countless hours working on labs in his classroom, taking pages and pages of notes, and studying for hours for the exams, but I know my fellow peers and I truly appreciate the unique high school experience Mr. Monden’s class has shaped for us. There is really no other course quite like his.The long nights we spend studying until four in the morning suddenly don’t seem too unbearable when we’re spending a winter afternoon with the friends we’ve made through this difficult class, grading labs or looking over disappointing tests while Mr. Monden’s plays his sometimes strange but nonetheless enlightening choice of music in the background. As much as we students complain about the workload, stress, and loss of sleep, know that we all are truly grateful for the class, the work he does, and would simply have it no other way.

Mr. Monden often spends hours and hours after school giving lectures, leading discussions, helping with labs, and providing extra credit opportunities. One will truly never come across a more caring and dedicated teacher than him. He works really hard to ensure that every student is grasping the content of the course, an especially difficult task when the class is AP biology. He always goes that extra mile by cracking jokes and conversing with his students, fostering strong teacher-student relationships. Truth be told, there are memories to be made, even if they’re something like those awful morning jumping jacks he forces his sleepy students to do. His classroom, for many, has turned into a sense of friendship and belonging. He has made the once and sometimes still scary class of AP biology into a place of camaraderie and appreciation. Mr. Monden’s genuine care for his students’ success is exemplified through the countless hours he spends after hours which continues to the Facebook group that’s usually still going off with notifications at two in the morning. During labs, he checks up on his students and makes sure that everyone’s experiment is going well and all questions are answered.

Thank you, Mr. Monden. Thank you for staying after school almost everyday to help your students. Thank you for creating the environment where students have made lifelong friends and memories. Thank you for working so hard to bring out the best in your students.Thank you for being so incredibly dedicated to your teaching. Thank you for all that you have done.

-Emma Chen, 10, Pow Wow, Staff Writer