April 2021 Teacher of the Month

The St. Monica Academic Excellence committee is pleased to announce Andrew Zerheusen as April’s Teacher of the Month. 

From the day he set foot on our campus, Mr. Z has inspired his middle school students to deepen their relationship with God, making it fun and relatable for them.  Students and parents are grateful for his leadership.  One parent shared: Mr. Z goes above and beyond with patience and encouragement in leading students in the faith. He has made a positive impact on 8th grade in his first year at St. Monica.

Mr. Z has led the 8th grade through this most important confirmation year with patience, empathy, and dedication.  He has gracefully shepherded his 8th graders through this process during an unprecedented pandemic year.  A student beautifully stated: Mr. Zerheusen makes a positive impact on our class in unique ways. Every day he always has a smile on his face and makes you want to be there and to have fun. He explains religion very well. I like his class the most because he explains religion in a way that we can understand. He makes it more engaging and interactive. He always shows kindness to everyone and we always look forward to his class. He is also a great homeroom teacher because he takes the time to know you and listen so that he can help any student whenever they need it.  

Mr. Z’s dedication to making the Catholic faith relatable and attainable is truly inspiring.  Each day, Mr. Z opens class with a Saint of the Day.  He leads a discussion of the day’s Saint, exploring the ways that particular saint impacted the world. This simple activity has made a significant impact on the students, as it is a daily demonstration of the many different ways that we can show God’s love, providing tangible role models for us to emulate.

The impact that Mr. Z has made on his students is apparent through the number of nominations that he received.  Another student commented: I think that Mr. Z should get the teacher of the month award because he has really helped me and my classmates understand our religion and how it relates to the world more than ever. He has shown us how to apply it to our lives and guided us through our Confirmation process. Without him, this school year and our religion class would be a lot more complicated because he breaks it down for us in ways we understand it. So thank you Mr. Z for all you do! 

We honor Mr. Zerheusen for going above and beyond for our kids. Teachers like Mr. Zerheusen inspire us all to grow in our faith, laying a strong foundation for a lifelong spiritual journey. As we know, it is one thing to know the faith, and it is another to fall in love with the faith. Mr. Z has been instrumental in shifting the students’ experience of religion class and making that experience more about relationships than just head knowledge. Mr. Zerheusen, thank you for the indelible mark that you have made on our community and in our hearts.