April 8, 2021

To Whom It May Concern -

I am writing this letter of recommendation on behalf of Veronica (Ronnie) Sawyer. I was involved in Ms.
Sawyer’s hiring here at Jasper High School three years ago. In addition, I have worked with Ms. Sawyer
as both her co-teacher as well as her team leader and department chair. Ms. Sawyer is an exceptional
professional educator who will contribute immensely to the student experience on your campus as well as
the overall campus community. I cannot recommend her highly enough for employment in your school
district.

I feel that almost everything you would want to know about Ms. Sawyer’s talents as an educator can be
learned from the extraordinary conditions of her hiring her at Jasper. Due some very last minute staffing
changes, we found ourselves needing a teacher literally the day before school started and the students
returned. Our plan was to fill the position with a long term substitute and hope that we could find a quality
hire later that semester. My assistant principal did notice, however, a late candidate in our district’s hiring
pool. We assumed, this close to the start of school, that any quality candidate would already be hired, but
we thought we would interview anyway. That is where we met Ms. Sawyer. I think you could audibly hear
our jaws drop when we spoke with Ms. Sawyer in her interview and realized that she was such a high
quality candidate for hiring. We could not hire her fast enough. She was the type of candidate I consider
myself lucky to find in may when I am trying to hire for the following year - to find her the day before
school starts in borderline miraculous. And, the odd and stressful conditions of her hiring only showed
how right we were in asking her to join Jasper High School. She interviewed on a Friday morning; we
recommended her for hire that afternoon; and, she was standing in her classroom at 5:00 that evening
with kids showing up on Monday.

Despite the chaotic beginning of her professional career, Ms. Sawyer handled everything with remarkable
enthusiasm and professionalism. She dedicated herself to learning our curriculum and pedagogical goals
as we were teaching them. She sought to immediately develop strong relationships with her students and
help them begin their own stressful start to their high school careers. Although she was brand new to the
teaching profession, Ms. Sawyer approached her position with a posture of both humility and confidence.
She knew she had much to learn, but also that she had much to offer as well.

She has developed into a remarkable teacher over the three years we have worked together. I have been
lucky enough to not only work with her in a collaborative team setting, but also to share a classroom with
her as a team teacher. She is a tireless and creative contributor while working with her colleagues to
develop highly engaging learning experiences for students. In addition, she is a responsive teacher in the
classroom who gets the best from her students while maintaining a safe and exciting classroom culture.

Again, I cannot recommend Ms. Sawyer enough for your school community. I know she will make a
profound contribution to your school for years to come.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like to further discuss Ms.
Sawyer’s qualifications further.

Mike Stanton
Jasper High School
mike.stanton@pisd.edu
469-752-7400 ext. 37437