Mrs. Wilhelmsen, geometry teacher and beloved dean of the Class of 2025, will not be returning as freshman dean next year. The position will instead be held by English teacher Mrs. DePietro. She has loved being dean and guiding students through four years of high school, but is looking forward to spending more time with her children and enjoying their own senior year.
Mrs. Wilhelmsen is a veteran Class Dean, with her first class in 2003. “I’ve learned so much in terms of realizing it takes four years for students to learn to trust you. And as they learn to trust you more and more, the dean position changes,” she said. Mrs. Wilhelmsen has learned a lot and become a better teacher through the process of being dean, and is grateful for all the experience she has gotten along the way. “I’ve become a better listener and have been letting students lead the process more,” she said.
Some of her favorite memories from being a class dean are seeing her students grow over four years, both academically and personally. “Seniors come in for one reason or another, and they wind up sticking around, and we can take a trip down memory lane,” she said. “It’s really fun to think about how much they’ve changed.”
“My favourite thing about Mrs. Wilhelmson is her thoughtfulness. She’s always there with a smile, a card, or a text when you need something,” added Senior Megan Keller. Mrs. Wilhelmson’s contagious optimism and positivity were other memorable aspects of spending quality time with Mrs. Wilhelmson that many seniors commented on. Amelia Rucker also agreed with this idea when she added, “Mrs. Wilhelmson is like my school mom. If I ever need to go talk or I am having a rough day, I know I can always text her to talk and get some motivation, and she’ll help cheer me up.” Many described that just being around her could bring up one’s mood, and she could instill confidence that students didn’t even know they had in them.
“I remember I was on the retreat my freshman year, and even though I had some friends from middle school that I knew, I was still with a bunch of new people I didn’t know, and Mrs. Wilhelmson made this daunting task of meeting new people less scary. She wanted to make sure everyone was having a good time, even when getting out of our comfort zone was a little difficult,” expressed Benjamin Ganz.
As Mrs. DePietro takes over, Mrs. Wilhelmsen knows she will do an excellent job as the next class dean. When asked what advice she would give to other deans, she says to give yourself time with the class. “It takes a long time to put together all the pieces of the grade and the dean job is four years for a reason.”
Mrs. Wilhelmson has been a dean at Pace Academy for 20 years, which means she has worked with five different classes, creating a unique special connection with each class. Having a dean as a stepping stone into high school makes sure that every student always has someone in their corner if they ever need anything, and Mrs. Wilhelmson makes sure she can be that person for every student. Each individual student has different needs, and Mrs. Wilhelmson understands that and adapts to create an environment that is comfortable for every student. It is characteristics like these that make Mrs. Wilhelmson such an incredible dean. She has made a lasting impact on not only her students but the Pace community as a whole.
“Mrs. Wilhelmson is always giving us the tools we need to help us succeed in our classes. She’s always there when I need a little advice or some extra help,” shared Senior Gavin Sender. Gavin also added that students always felt welcome in Mrs.Wilhemson’s office because of her friendly personality, and he will be sad to say goodbye when he graduates this spring.
Although the Pace community is sad to see Mrs. Wilhelmson step down as a dean, her students will never forget the memories they made with her as she ushered them through their upper school careers. Mrs. Wilhelmson will always be a staple to the Pace community as she continues to guide new students into the high school, even with her freshman year geometry classes. With lots of love, this year, Mrs. Wilhelmson will officially step down from her dean position and hand the reins over to Mrs. DePietro.