Latin teacher Tom Weinschenk had been teaching at San Luis Obispo High School since 1991 and is retiring after a total of 36 years of being an educator. His humor and kindness has impacted every student and teacher he met, and he has worked endlessly to make his class a happy, welcoming space. His unique personality has had a major impact on his students: we will never forget his Hic Habet games, checkeroonies, stuffed animals, and songs he wrote. Expressions talked to some of his students to honor and remember his time at SLOHS.
Expressions: What is your favorite memory of Mr. Weinschenk?
Junior Rory Devaney: My favorite Weinschenk memory is when we had a gladiator fight and he totally scraped me. It was close for a while but then he totally out-dueled me. My “capa” was “detated” from my head!
Senior Bella Osgood: My favorite moments in class are whenever he makes pun-derful jokes!
Junior Sonia McSwain: I liked whenever he would show the class his slides from when he went to Pompeii. It was really cool to see the things he saw and you could always tell he was feeling nostalgic when he saw them.
Expressions: How is Mr. Weinschenk different from other teachers?
Devaney: He has a unique ability to be so funny and so effective in the classroom at the same time. It’s like you’re constantly laughing at his amazing sayings and traditions but at the same time he totally engages you in the learning. Plus, he definitely has the best hat game of any teacher ever.
Osgood: Mr. Weinschenk makes a great effort to make personal connections with his students and genuinely cares for his students and whatever is going on in their lives.
McSwain: I don’t think I’ve ever had a teacher more dedicated to making sure his students are successful. He is so willing to have fun and get kids interested and he really wants everyone to do their best. His passion for teaching is really unmatched, and being in his class is something I am very fortunate to have experienced.
Expressions: What is one message you want to give to Mr. Weinschenk?
Devaney: I would just start to thank him for creating such an awesome learning environment and really making me interested in the Latin language. It would be an easy language to get bored of and lost in but he is so good at keeping his students involved. A living legend, he will never be forgotten.
Osgood: Thank you so much for not only passing on your passion for language and history, but also sharing humor, acceptance, and wisdom. Most of all, thank you for always encouraging your students to be kindhearted and to do their best in everything.
McSwain: My one message to him would probably be thank you. Thank you so much for teaching my brothers and myself, as well as several other students why Latin is important. He’s truly one in a million, and I don’t think I’ll ever have a teacher quite as unique and quite as wise as Mr. Weinschenk.
As the 2020-2021 school year begins, current and past Latin students will always remember what Mr. Weinschenk did for us. Thank you to our teacher and friend, Mr. Weinschenk.
