Unsung Heroes: Mrs. Lemoine
Photo submitted by Emmy Schmidt.
Whether you are a student at Hamilton or a staff member, you have absolutely crossed paths with Mrs. Christen Lemoine at least once. She is a fixture in our school community and a much-beloved substitute teacher.
She works at Templeton Middle School (TMS) as well as Hamilton High School (HMS), and has been a substitute in our district for 23 years. She has subbed for nearly every subject and many, many different teachers over the years. Her favorite subject to substitute for is social studies, and her favorite age to teach is high school students. She told me, “Hands down, high schoolers are excellent. They’re very kind and polite!”
She also has subbed at Aquinas Academy, Slinger, Grafton, and Germantown. She now spends nearly all her time at TMS and HHS, with 95% of her days being at the high school. Because of her extensive tenure at HHS, she is incredibly well known and appreciated, often seen greeting students and teachers she passes in the halls.
Before becoming a substitute teacher, she taught all subjects at a Catholic school in Skokie, IL. She taught fourth grade, then spent a few years at home with her kids. When she returned to working, she switched to substitute teaching because she had the opportunity to re-evaluate what she wanted to do and decided not to renew her teaching license. She grew up locally, went to college at La Crosse, and moved to IL for grad school.
Mrs. Lemoine, seen standing wearing a grey tshirt, second from the left.
Mrs. Lemoine is one of the most joyous, positive people I have ever met, personally and professionally. Her attitude and general happiness is contagious and she is a delight to cross paths with whether in the classroom or just in passing in the hallways. She is admirable for so many reasons, one of which being how well she remembers everything. No matter how big or small, she remembers every detail you tell her and will always come with follow up questions the next time you see her. Undoubtedly, to know her is to love her.
I sent her a series of interview questions under the guise of an article about substitute teaching to gather more information about her personal and professional life, and she has many interesting stories to share from her time in the classroom! Her favorite memory of substitute teaching is when the former Green Bay Packer, LeRoy Butler, came to speak at Templeton. He talked to the staff and students and handed out cookbooks. She was subbing in the math department that day and got to meet him personally! Some of her favorite hobbies include cooking, visiting her family, taking care of her dogs, and watching TV.
I sent out a Q&A to a wide variety of students and staff to gather quotes and memories about Mrs. Lemoine. I received so many amazing responses, most of which are included below.
What's your favorite memory/story of Mrs. Lemoine?
My favorite memory of Mrs. Lemoine happened before I even met her! I was communicating to my students that they were going to have a sub the next day and their responses were a collection of "it is Ms. Lemoine?" "I love Ms. Lemoine," "Can you get Ms. Lemoine?" "Ms. Lemoine knows everyone's name!" etc. To their disappointment, I did not have Mrs. Lemoine subbing for me, but I learned who I need to secure for next time.
In every interaction I have with Mrs. Lemoine, you can feel how much she truly cares and her energy is always so positive.
I loved when she played the "BS" card game with some of our AP Lang class last year when she was my sub!
She is consistently positive, and we are very thankful for both her flexibility and support. She is wonderful and always willing to help in any way she can.
The days that she was our long term sub while my Communication Arts teacher was gone were some of my favorite ones that semester.
She played trivia with my CRAW class on the last day of the semester. She is able to make everyone smile and enjoy coming to class!
She's such a sweetheart and makes sure to give her individualized attention to each student in her class. Honestly, I haven't had her in years but she still says hello and asks how I'm doing anytime we see each other. I literally get so hyped when I walk into a room and she's the substitute teacher. Everyone loves her dearly and Hamilton wouldn't be the same without her presence and light.
In one of my classes, we were in groups in the hallway doing a scavenger hunt. Mrs. Lemoine was in the building subbing, and she stopped and checked in with every group and even participated in the scavenger hunt!
She always says hi to me whenever she sees me and it brightens my day every time without a doubt.
When she catches me in the hallway and asks me how I am doing and calls me by name! I remember her coming out of her classroom and asking me how my spring break trip was, which was very sweet. Another one of my favorite memories is when I learned that we live very close to each other and she showed me videos of the coyotes howling in her backyard.
Christen is always positive and upbeat about everything.
Mrs. Lemoine was so helpful with subbing for me when I was gone on maternity leave this year! She even jumped in to take extra days than what was planned. I don't think my classes would have gone on as successfully without her!
My favorite memory thus far about Mrs. Lemoine is that whenever I chat with her, there is a story or connection that she can pull on the spot to give you a smile for your day!
Everyone in the room lights up when they realize she is the sub. Not because she is lenient, but because she is so kind and knows what she is doing.
She's the best! I remember playing trashketball with her in CRAW and having so much fun.
Ms. Lemoine is always willing to go the extra mile and help both students and staff.
What is something you would like people to know about Mrs. Lemoine?
Ms. Lemoine cares deeply about all of the students and co-workers here in the Hamilton School District. She knows everyone's names and treats them with kindness and respect. She takes her job very seriously and is an excellent substitute teacher who makes sure that students are engaged and actively completing their assignments. I personally request her as my sub when I know I am going to need to take a day off because I know she is reliable and conscientious and I know that the students really like her!
Ms. Lemoine has been one of my favorite subs for the past like 10 years and she has never been anything but helpful and kind.
Every interaction with her is always so positive and it is apparent that she truly cares about everyone at HHS. I know that she will be there for my students and support them while I am gone and always feel confident whenever I leave my classroom in her hands. We are so lucky to have her as a part of our building!
Mrs. Lemoine has always been one of my top choices for a substitute in my room. I never have to worry about whether or not the plans will be followed, the directions given, or information given to my students. As a teacher, having to be out for any reason is always a bit stressful, but knowing that she would be in my room brings peace of mind.
She is very nice and forgiving. She’ll try to help you in any way that she can even if she doesn’t know the subject.
She is a great person to get to know and is always willing to help. She will always listen to you and will never judge anything!
She is one of the most reliable people I know. If you need something she will come through for you.
She's very compassionate and caring. When she was my long term sub for CRAW she pushed through every challenge and helped us learn.
She's just one of the kindest and most caring people that I have ever met.
Mrs. Lemoine is one of the kindest people who works in this building. She knows almost everyone and remembers details about individuals in a way that is so impressive and shows how much she cares. She has such a warm, inviting personality and is incredibly easy to talk to. I know my classes are in good hands when she subs for them!
She is the easiest person to talk to about anything. I can always count on her to listen.
She is very knowledgeable and flexible. Students have shared that they truly appreciate when she substitutes in their classes, noting that she is kind, empathetic, and always willing to help in any way she can.
She works really hard to help students. I definitely wouldn't have passed CA10 without her.
Her ability to put students before herself. She puts effort into knowing all the students she subs for and truly cares about what is going on in their lives.
Everyone knows Ms. Lemoine: she brings light to any room she walks in; she shows unwavering kindness and compassion for the students and what she does. She makes sure every voice is heard and takes the time to truly understand each idea.
She genuinely makes an effort to connect with students, even though she knows she is with them for a short time.
She's always so genuinely interested in talking with us and learning more about our lives. She remembers so many things about each person which really shows how much she cares.
She is so kind. She is very lenient but also gives the class structure, which is what makes her such a good substitute. She is so understanding and caring, every time I talk to her about something or ask her for something, she makes me feel like I can. She is very welcoming and I just love her so much.
Mrs. Lemoine is one of the kindest, most understanding subs. She strives to get to know her students on a personal level and makes an effort to remember their names. She takes pride in her work and tries to make it fun, not only for her, but also for the students.
Mrs. Lemoine is one of the only subs here who genuinely takes the time to get to know us kids. She knows so many of our names and gives the best advice ever. She has shaped who I am as a person and I am so grateful for her.
Christen loves subbing in high school. She makes lots of connections with the students and they really enjoy having her as a sub.
She's such an amazing person—more than a substitute teacher—she really shows up and is an amazing friend as well.
She will drop just about everything immediately to help any teacher or student in need. She wants what is best for everyone!
She cares deeply about each and every one of her students, whether they give her a hard time or not, she loves them. She shows kindness to everyone and makes it a goal in her day to help someone's day become just a little better. She is always positive and always takes the time to listen to her students' thoughts and opinions, focusing on how she can do things differently to make things easier for others.
Mrs. Lemoine is one of my favorite substitutes because she truly cares about her students. She remembers people’s names after just one meeting and always takes time to ask how they’re doing. She has a way of making everyone feel seen and included, which is rare, especially from a substitute. Her kindness and positivity honestly make a difference in people’s days.
If Ms. Lemoine were to be a color, what color would she be? (and why?)
She would be "Canary Yellow," the brightest and sunniest yellow there is in the Crayola color wheel because she is always upbeat, smiling, and encouraging to others.
She would be green because everyone likes the color green.
Yellow—such a positive, warm person!
If I had to pick a color for Mrs. Lemoine it would be yellow! She is always bright and cheerful whether she is subbing for you or someone else in the building. She is always friendly and willing to have a chat if you have time.
Yellow—she’s quite pleasant and makes your day better. You don’t see her all that often, but when you do, you brighten up.
Yellow, she is always so happy and willing to talk with people.
Mrs. Lemoine would be sunshine yellow, because she truly is a ray of sunshine.
Yellow—she is optimistic and has a "sunny" disposition. :)
Yellow because she reminds me of the smile emoji and it’s yellow.
Yellow, as that's the first color that comes to mind when I think of kindness and liveliness.
A warm, sunny yellow. She exudes brightness and optimism and I think yellow is a perfect fit for her personality.
Yellow—happy and positive!
Yellow because she is such a happy person.
Yellow or baby pink because she is a very bright person but also very kind and warm in the way she acts/speaks.
Yellow! She is so bubbly and happy all the time, even when she has things going on in her own life. I appreciate her willingness to come to school, make the best of it, and help her students.
Yellow: she is just such a sunshine person!
Yellow like the sunshine. She is a happy ray of light.
Yellow (open and sunshine).
In my opinion, yellow, because she brings light and sunshine to people's day.
Yellow, because she reminds me of happiness, positivity, and kindness.
She would be a soft yellow! Always radiating with warmth and positivity.
Pink! She is always happy all the time and just makes the classroom feel better.
Pink because it's my favorite color!
Bright orange. She is super bubbly and spunky, and has a bright energy about her!
Sage green because she is welcoming, approachable, understanding, and so very kind.
If the student and teacher testimonials aren’t obvious, Mrs. Lemoine is truly an amazing teacher and person, and everyone I’ve talked to throughout the course of creating this article agrees tenfold. We are so, so grateful to have her in our school community. If you see her in the hallway, make sure to say hello and thank this unsung hero for all she does!
