Lawrence University Recognizes Two State Teachers as "Outstanding Educators"

APPLETON, WIS. -- Robert Ertl, a mathematics teacher at Racine's Washington Park High School, and Carl Jette, an economics teacher at Glendale's Nicolet High School, will be recognized Sunday, June 16 as outstanding educators by Lawrence University.

Ertl and Jette will receive Lawrence's 2002 Outstanding Teaching in Wisconsin Award during the college's 153rd commencement.

Established in 1985, the award recognizes Wisconsin secondary school teachers for education excellence. Nominated by Lawrence seniors, recipients are selected on their abilities to communicate effectively, create a sense of excitement in the classroom and motivate their students to pursue academic excellence demonstrating a genuine concern for them in as well as outside the classroom.

The 37th and 38th teachers recognized in the program's 18-year history, Ertl and Jette will each receive a certificate, a citation and a monetary award.

Ertl has taught mathematics in the Racine school district since 1977, spending 15 years at his alma mater, J.I. Case High School, before joining the faculty at Washington Park as department chair in 1992.

He received Park's National Honor Society's Outstanding Teacher Award in 1998 and is past recepient of the Tandy Technology Scholars Outstanding Teacher/Champion of the Classroom Award. He has been included in "Who's Who Among America's Teachers" four times in the past six years, including 2002, and has been a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics since 1994.

In nominating him for the award, Lawrence senior Tom Lipari cited Ertl's "commitment to his students both inside and outside the classroom.

"There are teachers who are brilliant, yet unable to effectively communicate the information to their students. Mr. Ertl created an environment that was conducive to learning. Looking back, I realize his ability to convey information to his students was just as important as his own knowledge of the subject."

A Racine native, Ertl earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from UW-Parkside and a master's degree in education from Carthage College.

Jette began his 31-year teaching career in 1971. He has spent the past 23 years at Nicolet High School, teaching economics as well as history and philosophy. He has been the recipient of four National Endowment for the Humanities Awards and was named the National Teacher of the Year for Economics by the New York City-based Joint Council on Economic Education. He also has been recognized with teacher of the year awards by the Wisconsin State Council on Economic Education, the Multiple Ethnics Parents Association and the African-American Hispanic Asian National Association.

"He has an amazing ability to motivate students and give direction to confused students," said Chris Anderson in nominating Jette for the award. "Instead of dwelling on forgettable charts and economics lingo, he used class time to discuss real world isssues and illustrated the effects of world events upon our daily lives."

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Jette earned a bachelor's degree in history at Marquette University and a master's degree in philosophy at UW-Milwaukee.