Reinstate Mr Kass as a WBHS Teacher

The purpose of this petition is to call for the reinstatement of Mr. Braden Kass as a teacher of the Willowbrook High School Mathematics Department after he fell victim to District 88's budget cuts.

Mr. Braden Kass has taught at Willowbrook High School since the fall of 2006 and has coached Boys' Track and Field since 2007. He has earned his place at WBHS through his dedication to his students and general helpfulness and clarity in the classroom - even in difficult subjects such as Advanced Algebra/Trigonometry.

As a versatile teacher in the Willowbrook Mathematics Department, Mr. Kass is able to provide assistance across three broad mathematics subjects such as Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra/Trigonometry. His devotion to WBHS itself is widely apparent; in the 2006-2007 school year - his first at Willowbrook - Mr. Kass was, alongside eight other mathematics teachers, awarded District 88's S.T.A.R. award for his dedication to the development of the Algebra Double Block program. He remained a teacher in this program for his three-year career at WBHS, working to help those students who needed assistance in mathematics the most.

His dedication to his students was perhaps even more exceptional: when asked for supplemental ACT material, Mr. Kass provided yours truly with packets of practice work, including multiple retired ACT exams and practice packets in the student's weakest area. In another instance, when yours truly approached Mr. Kass with a difficult math problem from a recent SAT exam, Mr. Kass willingly devoted time to uncover - and later, explain - the elusive answer to the problem. Mr. Kass also urged his students to ask for additional help where necessary and was always willing to help any student in need. Students who came to Mr. Kass in search of additional help were met by a teacher who was willing to devote as much time as necessary in order to assist the student in understanding the subject area. He went above and beyond in such aid, encouraging the student to do his or her best by teaching him or her how to solve various problems with multiple approaches to each. Mr. Kass thus showed his students that problems could be solved in a myriad of ways and that each student had the ability to master the difficult material.

Throughout his days at Willowbrook High School, Mr. Kass always arrived in class with a smile on his face and, with it, an enthusiastic, optimistic environment. Mr. Kass kept his personal emotions away from the classroom, always putting students' needs before his own. While he strived to create and maintain a friendly, relaxed teacher-to-student atmosphere, Mr. Kass never wasted any valuable class time: his fourth period Advanced Algebra/Trigonometry class was constantly learning, taking notes, and applying new information to examples and practice problems. He came up with his own games to keep the class entertained after hard work, having students "race" against one another to correctly complete math problems for a candy bar or extra credit. Mr. Kass was thus, in his own, unique way, able to make math that much more exciting for his students and in turn, able to teach his students the value of hard work.

Hard work truly came in handy to the Track and Field athletes Mr. Kass was responsible for. One could find the athletes running in the cold of the earliest days of the season; not a moment was to be wasted if the runners were to get in shape and be prepared for their meets. Mr. Kass's devotion to the team is apparent in the words of a Track and Field participant, Weston Umano, who stated that "as coach, [Mr. Kass] made every effort he could to improve [the team's] performance. (...) He is a very hardworking man, and he is one of those coaches who will help you however he can." Weston also says that Mr. Kass was the only coach who had expertise and experience in events such as High Jump, Long Jump, and Triple Jump, making his status as a coach all the more valuable to the athletes and their successes. Thus, Mr. Kass proved to be an incredibly indispensable member of Willowbrook High School, both as an enthusiastic presence in the classroom and an influential coach on the track.

In Weston Umano's opinion, "without Mr. Kass, the 'field' half of our team will simply go down the drain. We need Mr. Kass back to continue being competitive as a team." Many students will agree that Mr. Kass plays an essential role in Willowbrook High School, the school to which he remained a faithful Warrior; we cannot afford to lose such an influence, such a Roman Warrior, especially at this crucial time in the education of the young minds at Willowbrook High School. Students who have not even met him agree that such a teacher deserves a place at WBHS; he has earned his place through his devotion to all students, whether out on the track or in the classroom. A place should be found and reserved for this incredibly influential teacher: Mr. Kass is a necessary component of the Mathematics Department and of the Boys' Track and Field teams, with his professional and courteous demeanor truly exemplifying the Warrior Code.