There are many classrooms around Apopka High School but there are a few that will probably catch your eye more than others. The Blue and White interviewed some of your favorite teachers about their cool classrooms. 

Mr. Anchel

Mr. Anchel teaches AP World History, and he has a history of his years at APK. “Most students are quickly drawn to all the old JCC (Junior Class Council) homecoming parade float cutouts that I have hung up around the room,” exclaimed Mr. Anchel. Many float cutouts date back to his first year sponsoring JCC. But there won’t be any added to the collection anytime soon, since the Apopka Homecoming parade was stopped years ago. In his room, there are two bulletin boards inspired by students. One has drawings that students were inspired to draw/create, the other has unit terms related to what they are learning in class. “I love having displays of all the hard work students have done over the years,” Mr. Anchel expresses. 

Mrs. Katz

Mrs. Katz has been teaching Latin for many years and has taught at many different schools. Similar to Mr. Anchel, she has the history of her students in her classroom. When asked about her favorite part of her classroom she answered, “Things that I love are not necessarily the room but the things in the room, because what I love most are the examples of student work. The models that each year my advanced students have made.” Mrs. Katz has five examples of student work in her classroom; an apartment building, the Circus Maximus, a pistrinum (bakery), a villa (country house), The Pantheon, and a table made by one of her first classes symbolizing the different Latin classes, their seasons, and their statuses. She also uses these students’ work to teach her students now.

Mr. Walton 

Mr. Walton is one of the U.S. history teachers here at Apopka High School. When decorating his room, Mr. Walton was inspired by a past teacher he had. “I had a fellow teacher who was a science teacher. He had a full astronaut suit in his room and the lighting in his room; you feel like you were in space. I’m like, I want to learn science in there. So I always felt that same thing,” reveals Mr. Walton. There was a mission he was hoping to accomplish, and he did that. He said all the time that students tell him his room makes them feel comfortable, and that’s what he wants. Mr. Walton explained, “I really wanted to establish a strong connection for history and love for history, but just overall a warm and comfortable place. So that students when they came here, they knew they’d be learning history, but they also would feel safe here.” There is a certain feeling many students and even staff say they feel when they enter Mr. Walton’s room, “People have said when they come in here they love the way it feels in here with the lighting and the images and things.” 

Mrs. Carty

Mrs. Carty is an Anatomy & Physiology teacher. Around her room, you can find many different Lego sets that she built herself. She also has many boxes on display. If the Lego set isn’t there it is on display at her house. The Blue and White asked her, “What inspired you to display your Lego sets?” She answered, “One: I like to see what I’ve built. Two: It’s kind of how I build relationships with some of my kids because they are also Lego fans. So when they see what I built, they’re eager to talk to me.” Mrs. Carty’s favorite part of her classroom is the children; she believes that without the students there is no classroom. There is only one thing she would change. “If anything I would build a shelf on that wall that’s paged in or glassed in like that one then put them in there with a lock so they can’t steal it,” she described. Fun fact, the plural of Lego is Lego. 

Mr. Houvouras 

Mr. Houvouras teaches AP Art History, Painting 1, Painting 2, and AP Art Studio. There are many unique things that you can find in Mr. Houvouras’s room. But Mr. Houvouras explained, “I think the thing that stands out the most is my custom-painted Avatar (the cartoon not the blue people) desk. That or Spammy, a pig made of Spam cans, made by the class of 2018 for me. All hail Spammy.” Even though he loves his room, there are some improvements he wishes he could make, “I would have more sinks and I would love a bit more storage but those are small complaints.  I love my room,” explained Mr. Houvouras. 

Mrs. Houvouras

Here at Apopka High School, Mrs. Houvouras teaches a variety of classes, such as, Journalism, English 3, and Debate 1. There is a lot of expression shown throughout what she has up in her room. “Currently, my favorite part of the classroom is actually a part of the classroom that I created out of anger and disgust, and that’s the wall of rejection. So that’s my way of kind of sticking it to the system to show my students books they are currently not supposed to read in Orange County Public Schools because of the new state law that is stupid,” Mrs. Houvouras expressed. Mrs. Houvouras has two areas in her room that are about the new book ban law in Florida; her wall of rejection (explained in the quote) and her book shelves which are covered in flames and red paper labeled DANGER ZONE. 

There is a lot of history that can be found behind teachers’ rooms. Whether it’s past students or past experiences, everything has a meaning. In all, most teachers think about their students.They allwant to make sure that they all have a good learning experience and a fun time learning.