There is no way to speak of the triumphs of Wisconsinites without paying homage to those who laid the foundation for their success. The educators of Wisconsin are the spark behind some of the most extraordinary people in history. None of us would be where we are today without the notable teachers and educational support we received at the most critical stages of learning. Each of these educators received a Wisconsin Teacher of the Year award from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction in the last two years.
Ana Celia Báez is a bilingual counselor at South Division High School in Milwaukee. Alongside her experience working in a number of different educational settings, her personal experience as a former student has deepened her understanding of the need for educators to create a supportive environment for their students.
“Students need more than just academic guidance — they need someone who will advocate for their well-being, help them navigate life’s challenges and empower them to pursue their goals,” Báez says. That is exactly why she became a counselor in the first place, she says: to make a difference in her students’ lives.
Brian Counselman is a science teacher and part-time project-based learning coordinator at Malcolm Shabazz City High School in Madison. He has been at Shabazz for eight years, calling his position “the best gig in town.” Counselman says he loves that he is able to blend the things he loves with things students are interested in with curricular goals, and he aims to make each day different with real, hands-on activities in his classroom.
“To say, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna learn about geology.’ And a lot of times that’s not something that excites someone. But if you pair geology with rock climbing, well that can get real exciting, real fast,” Counselman says.
Claudia Heller de Messer is an English as a Second Language teacher at Milwaukee Parkside School for the Arts, where she helps students develop their English as they learn to read, write and speak. She has been teaching for 29 years, first as a classroom teacher, then transitioning to her current role.
Some of Heller de Messer’s favorite memories from teaching include watching her students experience their “first moments.” Many of them moved to Wisconsin from outside of the U.S., so they are bound to have plenty of new experiences, she says. One “first moment” that Heller de Messer mentions in particular is their first time seeing snow. “It’s so fun going outside with students with just their jackets on, no gloves, no hats and touching snow for the first time,” Heller de Messer says.
Saghar Homayounpour, a computer science teacher at New Berlin West Middle/ and High School, volunteered at an elementary school teaching underprivileged children for a year before taking on her current position. She has played a major role in establishing the computer science program at New Berlin Middle/ and High School.
“Teaching is a privilege and an honor: the honor of preparing the next generation for a better future and empowering them to create an inclusive and prosperous world for all,” Homayounpour says. Like any successful teacher, she wants to see her students thrive and says she hopes to do so by preparing them to become future leaders in the digital technology world.
Katelyn Simmerman is a fifth grade math teacher at Cedar Grove-Belgium Middle School, a subject she’s taught for 10 years. Teaching is in her blood: Both her mother and grandmother were teachers, and she knew she wanted to pursue a career in education from a young age.
Simmerman says her best memories as a teacher involve spending time with her students. In particular, she loves the “Aha moments” students have when they finally understand a concept they have been working on. “The joy on their face from learning something new will never get old,” Simmerman says.
Rachel Kumferman is a school social worker at McKinley Elementary School in Wauwatosa. She has been a social worker for 31 years and has spent 23 of them at a school McKinley Elementary. Kumferman washas also been the district’s homeless coordinator for the past 13 years, ensuring that students have the right resources to succeed.
“One thing I have always known is that mental health is a basic need, and my role as a school social worker is essential in ensuring that students can be themselves and also get additional resources that they might need,” Kumferman says.
In her role, she says she strives to create a safe and comfortable environment for all students, regardless of their backgrounds.
Bethany Counard is an eighth grade English language arts teacher at West De Pere Middle School. Both of her parents were teachers, and she says she always knew she wanted to follow in their footsteps.
“I cannot recall a time I didn’t think that I would be a teacher. Some of my earliest memories are playing ‘school’ with my sister and friends,” Counard says.
She says her favorite part about her position is meeting new students each year and having the opportunity to get to know them as individuals.
Rachel Sauvola is New Richmond High School’s first female agriscience teacher, as well as the New Richmond FFA adviser. She has been teaching for 26 years, but her passion for agriculture began when she was only 12 years old. She says the agriculture teacher she had in middle school sparked her interest in the field.
“It was always my teachers that kind of gave me the extra love that I needed to be successful,” Sauvola says. “And as I thought through that opportunity, I wanted to be that person in my students’ lives.”
In Sauvola’s class, students say they are able to gain hands-on experience, step outside their comfort zone and turn a bad day around just by stepping foot in her classroom. It is clear from this that her students feel and cherish that “extra love.”
Cover photo: Books with apple. Graphic by Lauren Aguila via Canva.
Tile photo: Image of computer science teacher, Saghar Homayounpour.