Humans: classroom profile with Ms. Saikaly and Mr. Hicks

As the school year is wrapping up and classes settle back into their old rooms, two teachers stand out amongst the rest with their decorated classrooms. Their engaging personalities have transformed their learning spaces into a vibrant learning space full of creativity with a touch of their own personal flair.

Way back in seventh grade before I even had Ms. Saikaly as a teacher, I could easily point out which classroom was hers. It stood because it always had its door open and a sun mad raisins poster on display. Now that I’m in her class, her room feels just as distinctive. Previously in the bungalows, Ms. Saikaly currently teaches Ethnic Studies and 10th grade World History on the third floor, in room 321. 

Although only being at this school for three years, Ms. Saikaly’s new classroom looks already nestled into, with decorations including posters, art and trinkets making the room feel more alive. “When I had to move classrooms, it was a lot of stuff to put up, and it’s always expanding and ever changing. I think that’s the beauty of having this kind of classroom is that there’s always more stuff I can add or change or make it my own.” - Ms. Saikaly

All photos taken by Oona and Simone

The most iconic item in her room that she is known for is her life-sized (fake) guillotine. Made by students in her first year of teaching, the guillotine goes along with one of the units she teaches in World History: the French Revolution. The fake guillotine was given to her in her first year of teaching at Eagle Rock by students. Part of Ms. Saikaly’s teaching is to bring history alive, which includes having students play the parts of different characters throughout history. “They’d have to do stuff from that perspective throughout the unit and then eventually we lead up to the trial of King Louis.” She explains how her classroom is then set up like a courtroom and the king and queen are interrogated by the students, which leads to a vote if they should be executed via guillotine. 

Ms. Saikaly loves that it was student-made and it's irreplaceable. “Like all these posters are great. But I could kind of get them again at some point. But that guillotine, I don't know who else would ever make me a functioning class guillotine, so I think that would be the cherry on top.” 

Lots of the posters or art she keeps are student made or taken from other places. The travel posters in her room come from old calendars or things she has collected throughout her life. However, behind her desk, you can see the enormous collage of artwork. Students throughout the years have drawn her in different eras or styles which she appreciates a ton. One artwork she mentioned was the drawing of herself as a Simpsons character. As a big fan, she was touched by the creation of a poster as well as a tote bag that she still carries with her today.

Ms Saikaly notes how much she loves decorating her classroom because it feels like a second home. “And not only do I want it to be comfortable for me, but again, for my students, for them to see themselves… I do hope kids can be like, hey, that person looks cool… or like, ask me a question… and that opens up a discussion on the history behind it and what goes on.”

If you’ve ever had Mr. Hicks as a teacher, you’re probably rich with stories from his class. From the Titanic trials to odes in the garden, he’s established himself as an essential part to ERHS history. His classroom is just as iconic. Through teaching middle school English, Journalism, and Screenplay, his personality and teaching style has come through into his decorations. He’s described himself as someone who doesn’t go by the book, and similarly, his room definitely can’t be called basic. 

Mr. Hicks actually used to teach in a much smaller room, the one that Ms. Kissam currently teaches out of. A teacher retired and room 216 became available. According to Mr. Hicks, the room was in terrible disarray. “It was a wreck. It was an absolute wreck. It was tagged up from the floor to the ceiling. There [was] furniture everywhere, like nobody wanted this room.” Despite all this, he saw something in it. Over the summer, he had the football team take out all the furniture, and he painted it himself. From there, he started decorating with art and of course, his famous album collection. Apparently, the albums were, “kind of a happy accident because, as you know, I have a pretty big vinyl collection, and I had set a[n] album up there thinking it would be funny, and it turns out the chalk rail has the perfect slot that will hold an album.” 

Something that not a lot of people know about his classroom is that his cardboard cutout of James Bond doesn’t actually belong to him. Bond, sporting a fake sunflower instead of a gun, actually belongs to a student who received it as a birthday present. 

Now that Mr. Hicks is retiring, he has to say goodbye to room 216. His records are in boxes, Titanic and Ode decorations are packed away. About leaving his room, he said, “Well, I’m gonna miss it. I think it’s the best room in the school. I think it’s huge. It’s got these wonderful windows where you can look out onto the quad. It’s got the side room, which has become so important for journalism to be able to do broadcast. And I’m just really happy that Mr. Martin Rowe is going to be taking it over, because I think he’ll give it a similar treatment.”