May 15

May 15 This Year's Retiring Teachers: A Celebration of Years of Hard Work and Dedication

Once again, the time of year has come when we must give a sincere farewell to the retiring teachers who have sparked the potential of countless students at Hamilton. With a gracious thank you to the impact that these educators have made at Hamilton, we wish them the best going forward into retirement. This year we are celebrating the careers of Mrs. Hillmann, Mrs. Savic, and Mrs. Gorski at Hamilton.

Mrs. Hillmann

How long have you been teaching?

31 years

How many of those years have been at Hamilton?

27 at Hamilton

What classes have you taught?

Computer Applications and Digital Design & Web Development

Do you have a favorite class that you’ve taught?

I've loved teaching both of those courses! Always challenging!

What will you miss the most about teaching?

The students!

Favorite memories from teaching at Hamilton?

One of my favorites....Mr. Heckman was the Homecoming pep rally MC and challenged the cheerleaders to throw me in a basket toss center court....well they sure did and man and I wasn't sure I would ever come down!

What are you most excited about in retirement?

Spending time with my family and grandkids, Sophia and Blake, spending more time at our lake house and TRAVELING!

Mrs. Savic

How long have you been teaching? How many of those years have been at Hamilton?

I have been teaching for a total of 35 years.... 21 years at Hamilton High School, 10 years at Templeton Middle School and 4 years in Waukegan, Illinois at the high school and alternative high school.

What classes have you taught? Do you have a favorite class that you’ve taught?

At Hamilton I have taught: Computer Applications, Personal Finance, Intro to Computer Programming, Video Game Programming, and AP Computer Science Principles.

What will you miss the most about teaching?

What I will miss: the students ... there are some great kids in this building!

Favorite memories from teaching at Hamilton?

Favorite memories: the fun I had while I was coaching at the middle school (coached girls basketball, boys basketball and track for all 10 years I was there).

What are you most excited about in retirement?

I am most excited about being able to travel any time during the year (not just the summer), being able to go fishing on a nice day during the week, and having time to devote to my hobbies.

Mrs. Gorski

How long have you been teaching?

I started in 1990 and have been teaching for 32.5 years.

How many of those years have been at Hamilton?

I have been at Hamilton for 21 years.

What classes have you taught?

I taught at MPS for four years, grades three, four, and five. After that, I received my Masters in Library and Information Science at UWM and was an elementary library media specialist in New Berlin.

What are some of the memorable or best parts about your job?

I am the Library and Technology Literacy Coach here at Hamilton. Some of the things I do include co-teaching with teachers, development of the systems and budgets for the library, ordering books ( hard copy, audio, and e-books), and equipment, and supplies for the library. I also work with students on research, training on databases and other software, and help with passive library programming. This includes things such as coloring, puzzles, legos, and other crafts etc. I also work with the other districts LTL’s to administer software and work with vendors. I’ve also been the advisor for A Novel Idea book club, 10 years of NHS as the NHS advisor, and advisor for Battle of the Books nearly 11 years.

What will you miss the most about Hamilton?

I will truly miss the students and staff. I enjoy working one on one with students while getting to know them. I’ve been fortunate to work with some really great people over the past 21 years.

Favorite memories from teaching at Hamilton?

I have really enjoyed working with Ms. Krolczyk the past seven years. She’s been a great teammate to work with in the library! Another favorite piece for me is talking to kids about books and recommending books. I love watching kids get excited about reading because I myself am such an avid reader.

What are you most excited about in retirement?

I’m going to continue to work at MATC part time as a reference librarian. I’m looking forward to watching my son play football as a tight end at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. On top of that, I look forward to having more time to travel, especially a European cruise with my sisters.