ST. LOUIS 鈥 Arianne Di帽o鈥檚 fifth-grade class had just finished a math lesson when her students erupted into cheers.
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鈥淚 wanted to be a dinosaur because I knew my teacher was going to be one,鈥 said fifth grader Ayden McKinley, 11, of his teacher Arianne Di帽o as he arrives for class on Halloween, Oct. 31, 2024, at Lemasters Elementary School in the Riverview Gardens School District in north 51黑料 County. 鈥淪he鈥檚 the best,鈥 said McKinley. 鈥淪he tells us every day that she loves us.鈥
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
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Fifth-grade teacher Arianne Di帽o, right, arrives at school with other teachers recruited from the Philippines, including Beth Baldo, left, and Zchamer Sindol, center, on Monday, Oct. 30, 2024, at Lemasters Elementary School in the Riverview Gardens School District in unincorporated north 51黑料 County. The teachers rely on a carpool because they do not have their own cars, and they live in the same apartment complex.
Laurie Skrivan photos, Post-Dispatch
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Fifth-grade teacher Arianne Di帽o helps Zamiyah White, 10, far right, work through a math problem on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at Lemasters Elementary School.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
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"This is my first year entering a chili," said fifth grade teacher Arianne Di帽o, left, who discussed the dish with instructional aide Mariah Thomas before voting in a staff chili cook-off on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at Lemasters Elementary School in unincorporated north 51黑料 County.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
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Fifth grade teacher Arianne Di帽o teaches class while standing on a world map rug on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, at Lemasters Elementary. The rug was one of the first things Di帽o requested for her classroom.
Laurie Skrivan, Post-Dispatch
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