Every school has one of them, or at least they should. Every school should have a teacher who has been there for many years; a teacher who attends most school-sponsored events; and a teacher who comes up with innovative ideas. Cascade Christian Academy has been fortunate to have a teacher like this.

For more than 20 years, Monte Saxby has taught math from grades seven through 12, computer applications and keyboarding. He’s driven the bus, sponsored classes, been on mission trips and out-skied most of the student body. He’s run marathons, caught large trout with homemade flies and rides his bike to school more days than not.

With all his years and experience teaching you might think that Saxby would have settled in his ways and run out of ideas on how to motivate his students. During this last school year, though, Saxby came up with an innovative idea for classroom attendance and preparedness.

In each of his math classes, Saxby announced that when every student is sitting in his or her seat and ready for class (with pencil, paper and book) for five days in a row, he will bake a homemade batch of his famous cinnamon rolls and serve them on the sixth day. That means no tardies, no absences (excused or unexcused), no “I forgot my paper, can I go to my locker and get it?” No excuses.

And how did Saxby’s plan worked? Attendance was up and so was the caloric intake of CCA’s math students.

Teachers like Saxby make Adventist education that much more fun and rewarding. Next year Saxby will be teaching at Mt. Ellis Academy in Bozeman, Montana. The students, parents and constituents of Cascade Christian Academy all say, “Thanks, Mr. Saxby, for being a great teacher, staff member and baker!”