Lori Farias – Friend of Sparks High School

Lori Farias student-taught at Sparks High School in 1996 with one of her teaching heroes, legendary English teacher Neil Fockler. One day during her training, while Farias was leading a lesson that was going nowhere, Fockler handed her a note that said, “Why are you doing this?” Fockler’s intervention remains a guiding light in her practice, reminding her to keep her lessons engaging and to always know why she wants the students to do them.

            Farias was first inspired to teach by another hero, Mrs. Crawford, her senior English teacher at Yerington High School, where Farias graduated in 1982. It was Mrs. Crawford who assigned Farias to make a Chapbook, leading to three decades of Sparks High students making their own Chapbooks at the end of junior year. It took Farias a decade of life experience to start at UNR, as a single mother with two young daughters. By 1996, she had a major in English, a minor in Math, a 4.0 grade point average, and a Herz Gold Medal. She’s been at Sparks High ever since.

            While teaching English has been the constant of her career, Farias has also taught math classes; coached the Dance Team; and advised numerous clubs, including Hispanic Club and QSA. She was freshman class, senior class, and newspaper advisor. As Prom advisor, she brought Prom back to The Brickhouse for over a decade, transforming the gym each spring into a new magical space. But the main magic has always been in the classroom, where her storytelling, her high expectations, her ability to explain ideas, and her generosity have inspired countless students, including four former students currently on staff at Sparks High.

A month after Neil Fockler handed Farias the “Why are you doing this?” note, he handed her another note during a vibrant discussion. This one said, “My greatest heroes are teachers.” Lori Farias’s greatest heroes have been her teachers and her students.

Inducted 2025