By CONNIE NOLEN / Community Columnist

Pelham High School’s Advanced Placement United States History teacher Sabrina Tutchtone is a competitor.

As PHS softball coach, being a competitor keeps her at the top of her game.

For her newest role as PHS Teacher of the Year, that competitive spirit will be valuable in a new direction.

Coming to PHS in the fall of 2012 from Prattville High School, Tutchtone quickly became a favorite among Pelham’s students and teachers.

As a hard worker, a demanding teacher, and a quick-witted and devoted University of Alabama fan, Tutchtone serves as a daily dose of energy and humor.

Keeping her classes engaged and giggling with her many stories, Tutchtone believes in working hard and playing hard.

She also really believes that students must know their U.S. History.

The demanding workload of the classes is a factor that Tutchtone embraces.

“After all, the APUSH (Advanced Placement United States History) teacher who I replaced at PHS is hard to keep up with. What was his name?” Tutchtone jokes. “Was it Schrupp—or did they just call him the god?”

All kidding aside, Tutchtone’s predecessor left big shoes to fill. Tutchtone, with her humor and commitment to her students, has nonchalantly and consistently continued to push this program beyond excellence at PHS—even through the ebb and flow of change.

“At Prattville, I taught APUSH as a two year class covering 10th and 11th grades. Coming to PHS in 2012, I had to adapt my course to one year because that’s how APUSH was done here. Now, PHS has gone to the 10th and 11th grade APUSH model—so I’m adjusting again this year,” says Tutchtone.

“Coach T is so funny,” sophomores say. Even though the workload of APUSH is daunting to sophomores, enjoying their teacher’s humor and drive encourages them to manage the workload.

“As a teacher and a coach, I am blessed to have so many opportunities to help create leaders in the classroom and on the field,” she said. “Allowing students to learn from their successes and their failures truly prepares them for life. Successful people are lifelong learners.”