When students enter Stephanie Lassetter’s class each day, they are welcomed with “Good morning, sunshines!”

A math teacher of over 20 years, Lassetter began greeting students this way six years ago during the pandemic, as a method of connecting with students when classes were held online. She considered her students to be “bright spots” during her days, inspiring the greeting. 

“They make my day a little better, and if I can do that for them, I’m happy to do that,” Lassetter said, who teaches at McNary High School. 

Efforts to support her students such as this one, balanced with high expectations and engaging lessons, helped Lassetter earn a Crystal Apple Award this year. 

The annual award recognizes educators across the Salem-Keizer School District for excelling in their roles. 

One other Keizer educator received the recognition in May, also teaching at McNary High School. 

Across Keizer schools, 16 educators received nominations. 

Three letters of recommendation by colleagues and a student backed Lassetter’s nomination, describing her as a leader in the school who balances academic rigor with support for students.

“For the warmth, brilliance, and life she brings to education every single day, she is more than deserving of the Crystal Apple Award,” wrote Lauren Sears, another McNary teacher. 

Lassetter said building student relationships is a priority for her, and a desire to do so inspired her to enter the field. Lassetter recalled a middle school basketball coach and a math teacher who she felt built good relationships with students while she was in school. She hoped to do the same as a teacher. 

Lassetter said students commonly enter class believing they are “bad at math.” She aims to shift that mindset through connections with students and project-based lessons that help students understand the practical applications of math. 

Lassetter said she hopes to instill a belief in students that, “yeah, it’s hard, but you can do hard things.”

After graduating high school in Harrisburg, a small town between Albany and Eugene, Lassetter was the first in her family to attend college and did so Western Oregon University. She returned to her high school to teach for one year, followed by another year at Corvallis High School, before she started at McNary High School. 

Lassetter said she starts the year with simple projects, such as building a device to protect an egg from breaking during a drop. Through the project, she wants to get students comfortable with failing and learning from that.

This skill serves students as coursework becomes more challenging, she said.

All nomination letters highlighted engaging lessons taught in her data science class and contextualized algebra II class. That ranges from gathering data on plants to the “murder unit” involving a murder mystery.

Lassetter explained that during the algebra class’s “murder unit,” students learn how to use logarithms. This is the mathematical inverse of an exponent, and students learn by solving a murder mystery.

Students are given a scenario of a murder committed on campus, a list of suspects, and the temperature of the body when it was found. Students use logarithms to determine when the murder occurred based on the body temperature, and match that to the suspect who was in the area at that time.  

“It’s rigorous, collaborative, and exactly the kind of learning students remember for years,” Assistant Principal Phil Kelly said in a nomination letter. 

Lassetter said the algebra class’s approach separates it from a typical math class, because she measures proficiency through the projects instead of more traditional assessments. 

She created the projects around four or five years ago, hoping to shift away from a traditional math class and build critical thinking skills into her lessons.

“There’s a lot of students that have felt super unsuccessful on traditional tests, and there’s so many different ways for you to show what you’ve learned,” Lassetter said. “Let’s try something different.”

Nomination letters emphasized Lassetter’s care and support of students while steering them towards academic achievements. All noted the “good morning, sunshine,” greeting as providing a welcoming environment in the classroom. 

“She does not simply instruct; she challenges, inspires and holds her students to a standard that reflects her genuine investment in their growth and success,” Kelly wrote.  

Assistant principal Heidi Tavares said Lassetter creates a “culture of aspiration” in a college preparatory class by providing individualized support towards each student’s goals, and celebrating college acceptances by lining the walls of her classroom with acceptance letters. 

Lassetter said the class, run through the Advancement Via Individual Determination program she helps coordinate, is aimed at students from underrepresented demographics across college campuses. Some have been working towards the goal of college through a program, and she aims to recognize that hard work.

Graduating senior Hannah Kellogg shared an anecdote in which Lassetter helped her learn how to balance commitments with personal time to relax. Kellogg said Lassetter celebrated when she learned to decline projects she did not have time for. 

“This is just one of many examples that show how caring, kind, positive and encouraging she really is,” Kellogg wrote. 

Beyond her students, nomination letters noted Lassetter’s support of other McNary staff. Sears, another coordinator for the AVID program, noted an awards program Lassetter created to recognize school employees each month based on student nominations. 

“She recognizes growth, highlights excellence, and creates moments of joy that remind us why we do this work,” Sears wrote. “In doing so, she strengthens our entire community.” 

NEWS TIP? Contact reporter Krista Kroiss at [email protected].

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