The crowd noise began to die down as the pitcher wound up. As the rest of the stands grew quieter, one voice stood out. The voice didn’t stand out because it was louder, but because it was in Spanish. Spanish teacher Sheila Evans proudly cheered on her students in the language they have grown to share. She could not have known fans of the opposing team were listening and growing more and more offended.

The Canyon High varsity baseball team played Plainview May 23 in Artesia, New Mexico. After the game, Evans was approached by some Plainview parents, who began to call her “racist” for cheering on her students in the language she teaches and loves. An angry Plainview mom then posted on Facebook, saying Canyon is racist for cheering on their students in Spanish. Senior Brighton McMinn was in Evans’s class during the 2013-2014 school year and said Evans is a big supporter of Canyon High athletics.

“When I had her in class, she always made a point to listen to the announcements during activity period,” McMinn said. “She always listened to the game times and locations, and she would try to make it to as many events as possible.”

McMinn said he loves the enthusiasm Evans has every single day that she comes to class.

“She was always extremely excited about coming to class every day, and you never see teachers like that,” McMinn said. “Some teachers just stroll into the classroom, just like the students. Señora Evans was always a special case when I was in her class. She was always excited to be there, and she really enjoys what she does as a teacher. That makes her stand out from the rest.”

McMinn also said Evans has a strong love for Canyon High and its students.

“There is no one that I can think of that loves Canyon High School and its students more than Señora Evans,” McMinn said. “I can’t thank her enough for everything that she does.”

Senior Savannah Bartlett stood up for Evans on Facebook by posting about Evans and her love for Canyon High and the language she teaches. Evans had Barlett in class her sophomore year for Spanish 3 and said she always urged her to try in her class, no matter the circumstances.

“I wasn’t the best Spanish student, but she would always call on me in class. Most of the time I would answer with ‘Señora I have no idea what you’re saying’,” Bartlett said. “Sometimes she would laugh and say, ‘Oh sweet Ana,’ but she always wanted me to try.”

Bartlett said Evans attends as many of her students’ events as possible to cheer them on using the Spanish names they select in her class.

“She’s gone to both home and away games for years, proving to be one of our most loyal and dedicated fans,” Bartlett said. “I play basketball, and she came all the way to both state championships this year in San Antonio and last year in Austin. I have a picture with her kissing me on the cheek with my state medal, and she might have been more excited than I was.”

Bartlett said Evans should never stop cheering for her students and should continue to be a loving person.

“I just want Señora to know how much her support means to us and we can’t thank her enough for all she does,” Bartlett said. “Señora, never stop cheering for us and never stop yelling our Spanish names.”