Shaunda Trimmer, Skyline’s beloved math teacher and cheer coach, passed away on January 28th in the hospital surrounded by friends and family due to an unexpected medical complication. She left a profound impact on the lives of many students, teachers, and faculty members, and she will be sorely missed by the Skyline community. 

Trimmer taught at Skyline for over two decades, and in that time, she lit up the lives of many. Both former and current students speak of her strong-willed personality, her love for animals, and her inclination to help others in their times of need. 

Many students recall fond memories of times when Trimmer made their days, and lives, better. Eszter Vizhanyo, a current Skyline junior, remembered a time when Trimmer stuck up for her in a time of need. She explained, “In the first semester during Essential Schedule Change Day, I was walking around in circles waiting for a spot to open up in Ms Trimmer’s 4B math class. It was the only math class that would fit into my schedule, and Trimmer was the only one that taught Math 3H at that time.” After several times asking, an anxious Vizhanyo felt saved when Trimmer decided to add her to the class despite it being full. “She saved my entire schedule, at her own expense, because she could see how stressed I was.”

Trimmer was passionate about the well-being and understanding of her students. Helena Archibald, a Skyline student, talked about how Trimmer’s teaching style was beneficial to her students. Even when it came to being stern, she always put her students and their feelings first. Archibald remembers, “It was obvious that she wanted to be there for us so that we could fully understand the concepts.” She was also a highly entertaining teacher who made learning math fun. As Archibald says, “My favorite memories with Ms. Trimmer were all of the jokes she made in class. Just in the middle of a serious math lecture, she could make any of her students laugh.”

Leah Webb, a junior, commented that, “She always made sure we were understanding what we were learning. She genuinely loved her students.” She also fondly remembers, like many people in Skyline, students or not, the puppies and kittens she would bring with her to school, which always seemed to brighten everyone’s days.

Chioma Okoro, a senior, spoke about how Trimmer’s mannerisms were charismatic. She told the story of when the access code to a quiz wasn’t working which led to a good interaction between her and Trimmer. “…She was talking about the access code thing… [Laugh] And she was just talking in a really funny way, and it was fun.” She also told some stories which really highlighted the unique and fun personality of Trimmer, which would brighten her students’ days. At the beginning of the year, “She was like, ‘Okay, I don’t care what anyone told you, but there is such a thing as dumb questions.’ [Laugh] ‘Cause everytime you go, especially to a math class, they’re like, ‘You know guys, ask any question you want.You know, everybody’s learning. There’s no such thing as dumb questions.’ And she was just like, ‘Actually, there are.’ And everybody’s laughing.” Okoro added that, “She just wasn’t super serious in the way that you see that math teachers are depicted. She can have fun, she was always super funny.”

Similarly, Trimmer left important impacts on her past students. Bella Fisher, a former Skyline IB student who graduated in 2019, shared how Trimmer affected her life. She explained Trimmer’s passion for helping her students learn math while feeling comfortable in a safe space. She reminisced, “She was an amazing, caring, loud, and excited calculus teacher who aimed to reach each of her students and leave them with positive memories.” Some of the positive memories Fisher recalled included the Calculus themed cheer that Trimmer taught her students, and the fuzzy animals she would occasionally bring into her classes. 

Trimmer created many meaningful memories and helped her students grow and learn in a fun, educational environment with her spunky personality and caring attitude.