The average sophomore will say that chemistry is one of his or her least favorite classes. Stepping into the chemistry lab the first day of school, I too told myself I would dread the class.  I hated that the quizzes were timed and that I couldn’t borrow a calculator if I forgot to bring my own. I didn’t like the new expectations, but when I learned to adjust to them, I also came to appreciate the teacher who sets the bar high—Mr. Buchli.

Everyone in Mr. Buchli’s classes knows that his passion for science seems to know no limit. “Ready for some B.S. (basic science)?” he’d ask us as we enter the classroom. With Mr. Buchli, basic science came in lectures loaded with content-related puns and jokes.

When we couldn’t quite grasp the new equations presented to us, Mr. Buchli reminded us to “put in the chemistry.” I admit, Q=mΔH_vap makes way more sense when you remember that “the more PPI (particle-particle interactions) you break, the more energy it takes!” “I had to do the rhyme on that one,” Mr. Buchli said.

Mr. Buchli is not an easy teacher, but he’s the kind that can make you laugh even if you’re not happy with your grades. At least that’s how I feel. His good humor is a relief to the stern class discussions and lectures that I’ve had earlier in the day.

This Thanksgiving, I want to shout out to a staff member whose zeal for teaching is evident every day he comes to school. Mr. Buchli, thank you for your positive vibe and for always keeping science, as you say, fresh!