LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Dale Destache was nominated by an anonymous student.

"Sophomore year was difficult. I had to double up on my math course. In the summer of my freshman year, my summer tutor told me, 'If you take Advanced Algebra, pray you don't get Mr. Destache. He's not bad; he's just a strict grader.' So when that time came, I was nervous. I heard the rumors about Mr. Destache. Then I saw that I had him as a teacher," said the student.

"Then my mom had an open house at her school. She needed my help setting up, and I walked into the school. My mom was so content. She came up to me," said the student.

"Did you see Mr. Destache," said the mom.

"No," the student responded.

"I have his daughter," the mom smiled. "Go say hi; he's outside!"

"So I walked outside and saw Mr. Destache. I walked up to him and said hi. He didn't look as intimidating as everyone had told me. He seemed friendly and understanding, especially having volunteered to give directions to the new students," said the student.

"I never thought I would walk in and enjoy his class. Mr. Destache taught like a college teacher. He taught quickly. He would move around and look everyone in the eye. He was so confident in what he was teaching. He would work on problems actively in front of students. He always offered help in the morning. He would get to school at 6:45 in the morning to help students understand the lesson. I went in a few times but felt foolish, so I stopped. But then I came back. I needed help and appreciated how he taught," said the student.

"I told him, 'I understand what you're saying, but I have no idea what to do.' With that, I came in every morning, and we would work on every lesson and make sure I understood the concept," said the student.

"I recognized Mr. Destache outside of the classroom as well. I saw him as an advocate and teacher, which helped me trust going in and asking him for help. He would volunteer to work at my mom's school to put on dances for her students, and he would dance with the students. He also put his family first. He cares so much about his family that he wore a mask sophomore year when it was no longer required. He balanced everything so well...His class was strenuous, but it set us up for success. He taught us to advocate for ourselves and be independent. Mr. Destache taught us to figure things out on our own, and he taught us math. Mr. Destache had our backs, and he would always help us. 'If you ever need a recommendation for anything, I will write one for you,' he told us on the last day of school. Mr. Destache is one of the most preeminent teachers, whether for math or life. He cares about his students as a whole, not just for 40 minutes each day," said the student.