Yorba Linda High School is proud of all of its hard working teachers and support staff. Out of all those hard working teachers and staff members, it took only one to change YLHS forever. Last, week Ms. Diane Luxa, Honors Chemistry teacher, was awarded Teacher of the Year for all her hard work, motivation, and positivity. Every day Ms. Luxa’s students always say her class is really moving, through both learning and excitement. Athena Kieu (10) says, “That class is lit! Thank you to Ms. Luxa, I have never had such a great experience in science; I always look forward to going to chemistry everyday. That class is very fun and exciting!”

Between the varieties of sciences in the world, chemistry caught Ms. Luxa’s attention, thanks to her High School Chemistry teacher. When she was in college, she decided to major in Science [Chemistry] & minor in Mathematics. She graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 1991 with a Bachelor’s Degree. When Ms. Luxa first arrived to YLHS she felt her life was changed forever, she said “I really enjoy YLHS… I would not teach Honors Chemistry if it weren’t for this wonderful school!” Ms. Luxa (Staff).

Ms. Luxa never expected to receive such a large award. When Ms. Luxa was told she had to attend the awards assembly, she stated she was very excited; she had no clue what was going on. After they had announced her name at the awards assembly she felt very surprised. Ms Luxa stated that she would carry all of her energy and strength to teach other types of science for her students. One of her favorite activities to do with her students in class is doing labs. Ms. Luxa stated “Your personality comes out more on labs.” Ms Luxa likes to help her students grow closer to themselves and have confidence.

Every morning, Ms. Luxa arrives to YLHS with positive vibes, whether she is tired or not. One of Ms Luxa’s favorite lessons is Stoichiometry; she really enjoys teaching, especially because her students always seem to find on how to apply the lesson they learned. She highly recommends students and other members of YLHS to “stay organized, study hard, [and] ask for help when needed.” Ms. Luxa says she loves to spend time at home with her dog- a miniature schnauzer, and she always puts in time and effort on grading and lesson plans.