The Highlander, Governor Livingston High School Newspaper

The Highlander The official newspaper of Governor Livingston High School In Loving Memory of Isadora Seibert By the GL Community In March of 2014, Governor Livingston lost one of its most amazing and youngest teachers. Ms. Isadora Seibert was only 25 when she was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of liver cancer known as fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, and as a result, had to leave ...GL for treatment. Ms. Seibert was a member of the Governor Livingston Science Department, teaching Freshmen Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Forensic Science, and Oceanography, but she also managed to touch the whole school. Part of what made Ms. Seibert so special was how much she cared, and her close friendships with other GL teachers. She connected with all of her students and always managed to brighten everyone’s day. We decided collectively in newspaper class that we would dedicate a memorial for Ms. Seibert. This included speaking to those she was closest with and putting together a photo collage of everyone’s best memories with her. Our first step was to speak with teachers, and immediately it became more than just writing another piece. We realized that when a person who is so close to someone is gone, it hits hard emotionally. Not only was it difficult for the staff to reminisce and pass their stories on to us, but it was a challenge for us to hear from each individual about how amazing of a person she was. Throughout creating this memorial, everyone had several different emotions. There was definitely sadness, but also happiness because we were lucky to have known her. For those who did not know her, we hope you will be able to get an inkling of the wonderful person Ms. Seibert was. We know every single person misses her, regardless of whether they knew her or not. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories and memories, it is impossible not to feel the loss of someone who made such an inmpact and was so inherently good. She made this world a better place while she was here, and we are all grateful for that. To understand the emotional toll Ms. Seibert’s passing took on people in the GL community, we made this memorial to capture the feelings and the memories of some of those who knew her best.

She Inspired Me To Be a Better Person... by Ms. Klassel, English Language Learners Teacher: "Isadora Seibert was a truly kind and beautiful person. I was lucky enough to have her as a dear friend. She cared deeply for her students, friends, and family. She did not judge others in a... harsh way, but rather entered every interaction with an open mind. She made everyone feel at ease. Even when Ms. Seibert's life was hectic, she still made sure to offer a listening ear to anyone in need of guidance or comfort. Her consistent example of generosity, humor, hard work, and patience has inspired me to be a better person. She will be missed every day." by a student: "I just really liked her as a teacher; we bonded over American Horror Story and other shows. She was different because she was relatable, which is rare to find in teachers. She just cared about your well-being." An Amazing and Caring Teacher... by Mrs. Dhaibar, Physics Teacher: "I was Miss Seibert's mentor: she was a quick learner and she developed into an amazing teacher. She wanted to coach tennis; she and I started to coach different sports together. She pushed me to coach and it was almost like the teacher becoming the student. We became quick friends, we liked going out to dinner together after school; she was a vegetarian and we would make vegetarian food, but she loved vegetarian Mexican foods. We liked going to Pancheros, we liked going to the movies together, we had funny experiences together and we just would hang out a lot after school and did random things. She was the most graceful sick person I've ever seen. She never lost her spirit throughout the whole illness. She stayed her same joyful self. She was always more concerned with how everyone else was doing, rather than how she was doing herself." by a student, Class of 2014: "The fact that she and I were both new to the school made us kind of close. When I came to GL, I didn't really know my place as much but she took me under her wing. She ate lunch with me all the time and I knew she cared." I Miss Her and Will Miss Her Every Day... by Ms. Toporek, English Teacher: "Ms. Seibert was one of those people who fit seamlessly into the GL community and our group of friends. Whenever there was a group event, whether it was at school or outside of school, she wanted to be a part of it - attending a school sporting event to cheer on her students or her friends who were coaching; chaperoning the prom year after year not because we had to, but because it was fun; going out to dinner at our favorite restaurant in Maplewood even when there were so many other things we had to do; planning St. Baldrick's together and dyeing our hair together at Ms. Murillo's house for the fundraiser. These are just some of the things that she became a part of in our lives and things that will never be the same without her. I miss her and will miss her every day!" by a student, Class of 2015: "She was one of those teachers that actually cared about her students. She wanted to make class as much fun as possible but wanted her students to learn also. She was one of those teachers you could just talk to as a friend; there was nothing awkward about talking to her." To Teach I.S. to Inspire... by Mr. McGovern, Physics Teacher: "It's one of those things where you realize how great your friends are and how much you have...she made everyone a better teacher, friend, and overall, was an amazing person." by a student, Class of 2015: "Ms. Seibert was one of the most kind teachers I got to have. She was different because she cared about every single one of her students."

In memory of Ms. Isadora Seibert (1988-2014)