By Ellis Sondrup
Coronado opened 20 years ago. With the opening of a high school, there are difficulties and changes whilst few things remain constant. However, a select group of teachers at Coronado have been working at the school since its birth, and one of those teachers is Mrs. Viscardo.
Mrs. Viscardo is well-known amongst students and has been given the title of being “one of the best teachers around.” As the AP Chemistry teacher, she teaches an infamous class that is considered the toughest AP offered at Coronado, yet she educates with ease. She has a system set that produces a high pass rate and successful students as well as making chemistry understandable and enjoyable with real-world applications.
“She always has a bright attitude going into class and will do everything in her power to help you pass her class,” junior and AP chemistry student Aidan Maynard said. “She provides multiple opportunities to receive help and tries to do activities to help retain information. She does in length and descriptive notes that also help with every problem.”
Mrs. Viscardo did not originally plan on becoming an instructor, yet she found a knack for teaching in college. Her fellow students would come to her and ask for help when they couldn’t understand their professors or teacher’s assistants. Being a “roll with it type of person,” she continued helping others and has gone on to teach thousands.
“My fellow students would come over for a study session in college,” Viscardo said. “Often, they would use my study tools or look at how I understood topics and use them. Several times it was mentioned that they understood what I had to offer more than the professor. So they just started to come to me for help, and it progressed from there.”
Now she applies her personality and talent for teaching chemistry to her students. Since 2001, she has perfected her system of teaching at Coronado which includes compiling notepackets, finding resources for students and creating a system of extra credit to ease the burdens of chemistry. The students notice, and they adore her for it.
“Mrs. V is so great at helping students understand chemistry,” senior and former AP chemistry student Khadeeja Saleemi said. “She doesn’t over-complicate things, she’s very organized and the pace with which she completes note packets is not too fast, nor too slow. Mrs. V’s always telling us little jokes and anecdotes in class, and she laughs with us a lot. I love that she sits at her projector near her students while she teaches rather than up at the board as it makes asking questions more comfortable and accessible.”
Mrs. Viscardo makes it a point to connect with all of her students; she consistently creates a welcoming environment where her chemistry students can come and bring friends. Mrs. Viscardo’s favorite part of teaching at the school is meeting the different people with different aspirations that come through her door.
“I have roughly had the opportunity to work with 4000 students in my time span here, add parents to that mix, and there are a whole bunch of people I have had the pleasure of getting to know,” Viscardo said.
