More than 500 friends, family members and former students gathered at the commons at Bellevue High School Sunday afternoon for an emotional send-off to longtime Medina Elementary School teacher Jeannine Rogel. After 47 years of teaching in Bellevue, Rogel will retire this month.
Currently teaching fifth grade at Medina Elementary, Rogel has built quite the career: making national headlines for her ground-breaking computer-programming lessons in the early 90s, restoring a 1928 Oldsmobile Coupe as a class project, taking field trips to local businesses – and around the world. But what seems to be Rogel’s most remarkable trait is her love for the students she has taught.
Rogel said part of loving kids is to expect the best they can give. This is a mantra that has stuck with, and inspired Rogel everyday. It’s also the philosophy that led Rogel’s demanding curriculum of Readin’, wRitin’ & ‘Rithmetic – and the topic of many stories at Sunday’s celebration.
Emceed by former students Kathryn Barrett (1972) and Carla Erickson Orlando (1970), Sunday’s tribute featured a variety of skits, songs and testimonials inspired by Rogel and her “out of the box” teaching methods.
Don Helling, a student in Rogel’s inaugural class of 1965, reminisced about the memorable field trip through Underground Seattle 47 years ago. As Helling noted, Rogel had to persuade administrators to allow her to take the students on a tour that commenced in a bar.
“What I remember is a field trip to the Blue Banjo Tavern,” Helling teased.
Former students Ben Gibson (1994) and David Vasen (1990) elaborated on Rogel’s impact, claiming the things they learned in Rogel’s class are among the most difficult things they’ve ever tackled.
“I had no idea fourth grade could be so difficult,” Vasen said.
But the most touching tribute of all may have come from Paloma Piñeda, a student of Rogel’s from 1997-1999, who still holds the record as the student who read the most books in one year.
Piñeda surprised a teary-eyed Rogel, taking the stage to express the many ways in which the teacher inspired her throughout her educational career. A 2012 graduate of Yale University, Piñeda thanked Rogel for challenging her in ways she never imagined she could be challenged.
“You pushed me to spell, understand, and most importantly, actually use, most of the words I would ever need for the SAT or GRE – which I’m taking on Wednesday – so thanks,” Piñeda explained.
Piñeda also attributed Rogel’s demand for excellence and love of travel as inspiration for her “insatiable travel bug.” A participant in Rogel’s educational trips to Washington, DC and London, Piñeda has since traveled to Mali, Ghana, Argentina, France and the Dominican Republic for a variety of educational programs and internships. This fall she’ll be moving to New York City.
Additional tributes included a poem by longtime friend and colleague Joegil Lundquist, whose grandson was a student of Rogel’s at Medina, and whose books on Latin and Greek roots have been staples in Rogel’s class for the past 10 years.
“What I like about being around Jeannine’s class is that she sees everyone as an individual,” Lundquist remarked. “They aren’t ‘the kids.’ They are Jacqueline and Damon and all these people – she pulls out the individuality of each child.”
In addition to teaching, Rogel has worked as an advocate of drama productions in the Eastside community, helping to produce such plays as “The Hobbit,” and “The Wizard of Oz.” As part of the festivities, a handful of the Oz cast members thanked Rogel for her passion and encouragement, and for teaching them “there is no place like home.”
Weaved throughout the tales of persuasive essays, poetry, ecology lessons, multiplication tests and more, was a theme of love and appreciation for a woman who has given everything and more for ‘her kids,’ – both in the classroom and beyond.
“Your presence in our lives extended to soccer games, family visits, birthday celebrations and choir concerts,” Piñeda attested.
“You were more than a teacher. You were, and are, a member of our family.”
