Author Spotlight
Maggie Condon
Even amidst remote schooling, history teacher and Student Council Sponsor Brenda Fishman stuffed Lancer of the Day bags with pencils, pens and candy then drove around town to drop off the bags with her two dogs, Dolly and Abby, in the backseat. All to make sure the students received the usual rewards despite an online school year.
With Fishman’s time at East ending after 37 years of teaching and 27 years of sponsoring StuCo, her students say she’ll leave a legacy of selflessness and encouragement.
The mutual respect she has with her students on StuCo has helped them pursue their passions and ideas whether it’s making floats or coming up with ideas for school events for years, according to current Exec Board members.
“I just think it’s so good to meet kids on their level and to work with kids on things that they have a passion for,” Fishman said. “They see you in a different light and you see them differently. You see what they’re interested in and what they’re passionate about.”
Her students and those on StuCo recognize the work and time she’s dedicated throughout the years in order to create an environment where her students can succeed, including Student Body President and senior Jack Kessler.
“She is StuCo,” Kessler said. “With the amount of effort that she’s put in every single year.”
Throughout the years, Fishman has traveled with her StuCo students to leadership programs in Santa Barbara, Philadelphia, Dallas, Vegas, Albuquerque, Albany and most recently, Collinsville, Illinois.
On that trip, Fishman and Student Body Class Secretary and senior Nora Hill took the train, but Kessler and Student Body Vice President and senior Sam Streiler decided to drive. Fishman, being who she is, had them call every hour on the dot to make sure they were doing okay.
Fishman is welcoming to those who aren’t involved in StuCo as well, standing outside her room in the center of the third floor to greet students during each passing period. She’s been a friendly face for all students, including StuCo member and student of Fishman, senior Abi Limbird.
“Fishman is one of the best parts of Shawnee Mission East, the entire values fall on Fishman’s shoulder, she’s the pillar of the school,” Limbird said. “There’s a reason why her classroom sits at the bottom of the main staircase and overlooks the school.”
Limbird truly believes that Fishman changed her life. After qualifying for Academic World Quest Nationals, Limbird and three other students went to Washington D.C. with Fishman. The memories from the trip were so enjoyable and eye-opening for Limbird that she decided to attend college in Maryland.
“It was the best trip of my life,” Limbird said. “I’ve never been to D.C. before and when I came home, I told my parents how much I loved Washington D.C. and then we made plans to visit colleges near the D.C. area. Now I’m going to Maryland.”
Fishman even printed out all the photos she took on the trip, framed one of them and gave them to those on the trip, with the extra photos so they could be switched out. Serving as a reminder of the memories Fishman helped create.
Besides the impressions she’s left on her students, students have also left impressions on her. With 27 years of raising money for the Johnson County Christmas Bureau, she’s seen many students go out of their way to raise money for causes they care about.
“We had a student who had completely planned a shrimp dinner and auction two years in a row to raise money for the Christmas Bureau,” Fishman said. “We brought in more than $10,000.”
Beyond her students, Fishman has impacted teachers, specifically co-sponsor Chanelle Dieckmann with ways to improve her leadership in the StuCo setting. She’s shown her how to lead leaders and how that affects the student’s ability to maximize their efforts on StuCo.
“Just seeing how she has structured StuCo, she has transformed it to create a culture where her leaders are leading as they should,” Dieckmann said. “And she’s stepping when she needs to but for the most part, she’s teaching the leaders how to lead.”
The message that Fishman wants to leave with students is to participate in the things you are passionate about around the school.
“I always try to encourage my students to be a participant, not just a wallflower,” Fishman said. “[I want them] to get involved in activities that they think are fun or challenging, even things they’ve never done before. Just do it.”
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