www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday March 31, 2007 - 19 Aquinas teacher left a lasting impression on Humber student Continued from page 17 when she was in Grade 10 and two years later, Robertson's husband was diagnosed with ALS. "I think I related to her. I found out her mother had a fatal disease, she'd watched her mom die of cancer," the teacher said. "I was "After 21 years, somebody saying, wow, you're good at this -- that's special." Greatest High School Award winner Beth Robertson just dealing with my own husband's diagnosis, so we were able to talk." Robertson and Blumhoff reunited earlier this month at a banquet at Humber's Toronto campus to recognize the essay writers and teachers. "It was so great to see her again," said Robertson. "Things are so different. We were talking about what she was doing in school, and what other schooling she's looking into after she's done at Humber she would never have talked about school before. It was great to hear." For her essay, Blumhoff received $500 off books at Humber, and Robertson was awarded with a Greatest High School Teacher Award plaque. The other teacher recipient was Joe Tersigni of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School in Guelph. The winning teachers also get to select a student from their schools to receive a $1,500 scholarship to Humber in their first year. "It's so great because scholarships almost always go to university kids," said Robertson, while sitting in her classroom. She's waiting to see which of her students decide to attend Humber College, and will make her decision about the scholarship from there. When you see Robertson's classroom, it's easy to see why she would be recognized with a Greatest High School Teacher Award. She has a wall she calls "a monument to my time here," full of pictures of students during mock trials in her law classroom, or on the soccer field or at the hockey rink, both teams she's coached during her eight years at the school. Robertson also spends much of her time with the school's Peace and Social Justice Group, which she started. It now boasts more than 100 members. She has been recognized in the past for her dedication. But this award, she says, really stands out. "After 21 years, somebody saying, wow, you're good at this that's special. But because a student said it, it wasn't administration, it wasn't adults who said it. This was a kid. It's that much better." And especially coming from a student like Blumhoff, who didn't really enjoy her time in high school. "Looking back, there are many things that I would do differently if I had the chance to redo high school," Blumhoff writes. "There is one thing I would always want to stay the same: having Mrs. Robertson as a teacher." "That fact that she did not give up on me is reason enough why I will respect her forever," the letter continues. Blumhoff says she learned how to accept responsibility and put effort into her work through Robertson's law class, where she eventually saw a major improvement in her marks. The letter concludes; "All in all, there are many things that Mrs. Robertson taught me that I will take with me forever. That is why I am writing this essay, so that I might be able to give her something that she can take wherever she goes."