The life of a teacher is never easy, but one of the many rewards is seeing the impact that they have on their students. This is especially true when one has been teaching math for over 40 years. As this school year ends, Dee Ann Arriola is beginning a new chapter of her life with her retirement. She has been a teacher for 44 years teaching at different middle schools, high schools, colleges, and universities. She started her career teaching in Las Vegas. Ms. Arriola started teaching at Highland three years ago and while she is looking forward to retiring, she is going to miss this school.

“I think that we have a great faculty. They’ve been wonderful friends to me,” Arriola said. “I will miss them.”

This will not be the end, however, as Arriola spoke of her plans to come back and visit in the future. Throughout the years, she has enjoyed seeing new students and witnessing how those of past have grown and changed.

“Meeting all the kids every year, seeing the change every year, how things are progressing, that’s been my favorite part,” Arriola said.

She has two daughters that graduated from Highland and a cousin that was in the first graduating class here.

During her time here, Ms. Arriola was also teaching classes at Salt Lake Community College. Outside of the classroom, she loved to paint and garden, go traveling and go to events that her kids were in. When she does finally retire, she plans to do whatever she wants and one thing that she will for sure be doing is continue to paint and work at a gallery downtown, and display a few things.

Her advice to students after working with them for so long?

“Take control and take responsibility for yourselves. We baby you guys all the way through from kindergarten through 12^th grade and then right after that you’re on your own,” Arriola said. “Make sure that you do what you want to do…..once you do that it belongs to you, it wasn’t [like] ‘oh I got an a’ and in the back of your mind ‘oh, I talked the teacher into this, my parents called and did this.’ Whenever you get some kind of reward or distinction, [you will] know that you’ve earned it yourself. So, take control high school students.”

As the years go on and life continues here, one thing that is certain is that Highland just will not be the same without her.