Curt Kaczor: Cross country and track coach, fifth grade teacher at North Lake Elementary, and a father. Coach Kaczor has been there for me from when I was a freshman through my senior year. He has had a huge impact on the person I have become today and he has taught me life skills that I will use throughout college and even after I graduate.
Running is a grueling sport, but Coach Kaczor always finds a way to make it fun. Before workouts, he brings pockets full of Jolly Ranchers and throws them in air (which then turns into a battle of every man for themselves to see who could end up with the most Jolly Ranchers). To encourage us, every week he announces a “Runner of the Week.” For each runner, he  talks about their hard work and successes. He then gives that athlete a t-shirt, rewarding the hard work. When I earned Runner of the Week, I felt accomplished and I was happy that he was noticing my improvements. Earning it encouraged me to stay motivated and keep working hard.
Coach Kaczor also connects with every girl individually, and never makes a runner feel like they aren't important. When Coach isn't at a race, I get super stressed out--but as soon as he shows up, he gives a pep talk and always finds the right words to calm me down.
My freshman year, he gave me the nickname Pocket Hobbs because I was the smallest girl on the team. The nickname he gave me makes me feel like I have my own place on the team, and it also makes me realize that I mean something to him.
He has seen me at my at all of my highs and lows. During a race sophomore year, I overheated and practically fainted into his arms. He carried me all the way to the finish line and made sure I was okay. Whenever I had injuries, he worked with me to overcome them and come out stronger. He has led me to a state championship title my freshman year. We were a group of seven girls who had one goal in mind: the state title. He coached and trained us to be the best and he encouraged us all the way to the top of the podium. Going undefeated, we were headlined the “dream team” in the newspapers, and it was a memory that he will be part of for the rest of my life.
He has made me a well grounded person, and he has taught me so many skills. Before practice, he has the girls circle up and say one thing they are thankful for that week. This circle taught me that no matter how hard life seems, there are other people going through much worse and there is always something to be thankful for. 
Coach Kaczor taught me determination and drive. During races, he practically runs next to me when I can barely breathe and motivates me to keep going, teaching me to never give up. I now take these skills and apply them to school, and my future such as college.
Although his athletes are not always perfect, Coach tries his best to relate to us and see things from our point of view. We give him our fair share of trouble (like playing games when we should be running). But he never stays mad at us. And for all the trouble we give him, we also give him our hardwork and commitment to become the best runners we can. He gives us so much of his time and commitment that every girl wants to give that back to him.
One time after practice, I was sitting in the athletic area of Arrowhead, and a few younger kids on the youth track team asked me, “Do you run for the Arrowhead girls?” I responded to them, “Yes! It is a lot of fun and I suggest you come out for this sport when you guys are in high school!” Eagerly they told me, “Kaczor is my fifth grade teacher!” and “Tell him we say hi!” This was proof to me that he genuinely cares about everyone in his life, and has a positive impact on all he comes in contact with.
This year Coach has become a father to his daughter Izzy. Every time he talks about her, his eyes brighten like the stars in the sky, he puts a big smile on his face and he becomes ecstatic like a little kid on Christmas morning. He is a role model and a father figure to me, so I know he will be even better to her. And for how much he has taught us, I also believe that we have taught him very well how to handle a little girl.