Hamilton High School German teacher Robin Tessereau was named Ripon College’s Educator of the Year for 2008-09, and will be honored at its 143rd Commencement ceremony May 16.
She has taught at Hamilton since 1998 and was nominated for the award by former students Kelly Schweiss and Lizzie Stoudt. Tessereau was chosen for the honor because she was instrumental in starting the school’s German club and has been a strong advocate for Hamilton’s German-American Partnership Program, an exchange program that connects German students with host families in the Sussex area and allows Hamilton students to visit their corresponding German families.
“‘Frau,’ as she is more commonly known, was an integral part of my high school experience,” said Stoudt. “From German class to German club and her involvement with the National Honor Society, her leadership and guidance helped me grow as a student in the classroom and as an individual in the community. Above all, her infectious warmth and charisma created a lasting impression on my memories of high school.”
Said Schweiss, “Frau Tessereau didn’t just teach me the German language. A lot of teachers could have done that. It seemed like in those four years she taught me a little bit about all things German – the language, the people, and the culture – enough to get me fired up about learning more as a German minor here at Ripon.”