Pacifica Stories

At last month’s Senior Dinner, Linnea Scobey received the Faculty of the Year Award after completing her sixth year as a Latin and Theology teacher at Pacifica. In addition to being a Pacifica alumna herself of the Class of 2010, she has made an indelible mark upon the Pacifica community as an educator who is passionate about their subject matter and deeply committed to the formation of students. Commonly referred to by her students as ‘Magistra,’ Mrs. Scobey is known for bringing vibrant life to the ‘dead’ language of Latin, and uniquely teaches it as a spoken language. Beyond her gift of creating engaging lessons and bestowing knowledge, Linnea Scobey evidently displays Pacifica’s mission to ‘think and live well,’ and she shares this freely with her students and colleagues. She is incredibly deserving of this year’s Faculty of the Year Award, and we are grateful for her commitment to Pacifica. Read on to hear remarks from colleagues on Mrs. Scobey's reciept of this award.

Teachers are many things: instructors, statisticians, counselors, detectives, coaches, therapists, and pastors; outside of the classroom some of us are spouses, parents, grandparents, and more, but all of us started as kids in a classroom. At some point every teacher was an anxious ninth grader hoping they could find their way through a difficult text or seemingly impossible verb conjugation. Many of us had a teacher, somewhere along the way, that recognized that education is not filling an empty vessel but lighting a fire. Teachers that showed us that kids do not care how much a teacher knows until the teacher shows how much they care. This helped us to see that we were not merely kids in a classroom, but students in the process of becoming who God wants us to be. 

The 2025 Teacher of the Year not only started as a kid in a classroom, but as a kid in these classrooms; she was a Pacifica student. Pacifica’s Teacher of the Year is a member of the class of 2010, Mrs. Linnea Scobey. Linnea, the seeds of your greatness as a teacher were evident in your time as a student. You were interested and interesting. You approached your work with creative intelligence, opposed to the artificial kind. Your goal was not the common currency of high school success, grades, but understanding and wisdom. You were involved. In extra-curriculars, yes, but also in the lives of your classmates. Your buying into the culture of the classroom, even its sillier parts, made it acceptable for others to do so. It was impossible to think of the Class of 2010 without thinking of you because you made learning an act of worship. In essence, this is who you are as a teacher. You create classrooms that are engaging and curriculum that is interesting. You approach teaching with creative intelligence as you

incorporate games, field trips, cooking, and other activities to bring learning to life. Students in your classes are successful, but they say that they are not worried about grades, but about learning as you create a low stakes environment to learn top drawer skills. You develop vibrant classroom cultures that students feel like they belong in but also respect. You not only give your students a voice, but a language in which they speak. You are also still involved in the lives of your students and in the lives of your colleagues as you support us with prayer, encouragement and example of excellence and you have made teaching an act of worship as well. As one of your former teachers, I cannot tell you how proud I am of the woman and the teacher you have become. I speak for all of us, including your Latin teacher, Mr. Bailey, when I say that. As the parent of a student whose life you have touched and whose career path you have influenced, I say thank you and declare you Magistra Anni.
- Scott Comer, History & Theology Teacher

Each year, the faculty and staff of Pacifica honor one of their peers by selecting them as the teacher of the year. This year, the honor went to Mrs. Linnea Scobey. Mrs. Scobey has been at Pacifica for 6 years as a Latin and Theology teacher. She is also a distinguished alumna of our school. She has the unique ability to engage her theology students in a scholarly debate regarding the nature of God while teaching her advanced Latin students the culinary secrets of ancient Roman cooking (all recipes in Latin, by the way). Her colleagues are inspired by her lesson plans, her love for students, and her ability to make language fun. She is an incredible teacher and an amazing embodiment of the Pacifica mission to Think and Live Well. Congratulations, Mrs. Scobey, for being named the 2024-25 Teacher of the Year. 
- Erick Streelman, Principal