Science teacher Eileen Rohmer died on Sunday September 16 after a two year battle with cancer. Rohmer taught physical science and honors chemistry at PHS for seven years.
Rohmer was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and continued to teach through Spring of 2012. Rohmer was public about her illness through her blog. The illness, though, is not what students will remember about her.
Senior Aristotle Magganas had Rohmer as an Honors Chemistry teacher and was her TA.
“I think the most significant way she has positively impacted me [was by providing] a powerful antidote to my cynicism. Popular culture often talks about and portrays heroes and the like, but I have always thought of people as basically being selfish,” Magganas said. “No one can continue to hold that that view is universally true after Ms. Rohmer.”
Magganas said she was selfless, coming in day after day, often feeling terrible, but still helping her students with a sunny disposition, which was truly inspiring and demonstrated that heroic individuals do actually exist.
Magganas said Rohmer inculcated in him and all her students a sense that they could understand things if they thought about them clearly.
“I think she is an excellent role model for all of us, and really pushes us to be appreciative of helpful people and to be as helpful as we can be ourselves,” Magganas said. “Passivity she would not tolerate, and I think I will carry that attitude with me the rest of my life.”
Magganas said Rohmer was an incredibly strong-willed woman, very thoughtful, hard working, and kind.
“She made everything clear and instructed the most enlightening science class I have ever had,” Magganas said. “She really engaged her students and pushed them to be the very best they could be. She demonstrated the strength of the individual will to continue on helping others in the face of great personal hardships.”
Principal Rich Kitchens was Rohmer’s first evaluator at PHS,and has known her since she first started at PHS. Kitchens will always remember Rohmer’s mysterious smile.
“In class she would have this wry smile, and it was hard to kind of see. When some people smile you know why they are smiling or there is an obvious reason, but she was very complex and it was hard to tell whether she was laughing with the students or at the students,” Kitchens said. “It was always clear to me that she always had students’ best interest at heart.”
Kitchens said Rohmer reminds him to have fun with what he is doing, otherwise it is nothing more than a job or task.
Kitchens said, “I think I will carry that reminder of the sense of humor, and you can laugh at yourself and you don’t want to take yourself to seriously.”
Kitchens said two weeks before Rohmer passed away, she wrote him an email. In the spring, Rohmer had told some students that she would write them letters of recommendation.
“She had struggled all summer to do that. And she wrote me three times about that, [saying] ‘I think I can do it, I think I can do it, I am trying to do it’. And in the end she could not,” Kitchens said. “To the very end she was thinking about the kids, and they were her concern. With all the other things she had going on, the kids were her extended family.”
Kitchens said Rohmer cared about the kids enough to push them harder.
“Good teachers do that, they do not take the easy way out,” Kitchens said. “We are honored to have known her. She showed us the way to live. She shows us the best that we can be.”
Junior Remington Schofield had Rohmer as a physical science teacher and would visit her every day, during a random period just to say hi and talk to her.
Schofield said, “I loved how invested she was in teaching, I really have a lot of respect for her. I loved how happy should be when I came into her class with Brandon Wong and serenaded her with songs we learned in acapella.”
Schofield said Rohmer taught him to challenge himself and be organized.
“Ms. Rohmer’s selflessness in teaching really helped my time in her class. She would always be available for help, and really enjoyed teaching you when you came in,” Schofield said. “She has impacted my life greatly, and taught me not only how to be a good student, but she taught me how to be a good person.”
Schofield said he and Rohmer bonded over cats.
“I would show her cat videos and she would show me some too,” Schofield said. “[Even] over this past summer, she emailed me a couple cat videos. It was really great that we still connected.”
Schofield said his freshman year class was not the most respectful.
“There were a few trouble makers and punks that would give her grief and cause problems, but Ms. Rohmer would always be respectful and patient with them, something I do not think I could do,” Schofield said. “She really inspired me and the rest of the class to be fair and respectful to everyone.”
Schofield said one day he came into an Honors Chemistry class and put on safety goggles, pretending to be part of the class.
“It was not until 40 minutes later that [Ms. Rohmer] noticed that I was lurking in her class,” Schofield said. “When I told her how long I had been there she broke into laughter and let me stay as we talked about science things and cats.”
Schofield said Rohmer encouraged challenging one’s self and going beyond what is expected.
“If there is one thing I will carry on from Ms. Rohmer, it will be to do my best on everything, and challenge myself beyond what I expect of myself,” Schofield said. “I will definitely carry the selflessness she had for the rest of my life. I do not think I knew a more helpful person in my life. Ms. Rohmer helped shape who I am today. She helped improve myself, and taught me so much, whether it was about science, or a lesson in life that I needed to know.”
Assistant principal Anne Dolid knew Rohmer for one year.
“[Rohmer] has reminded me of how important it is to see the world as glass half full, and to be thankful for the people in my life,” Dolid said, “Bad things happen to good people. We have no control over those things. [Rohmer has taught me to] be grateful for every day.”
PHS graduate Erin Cusick knew Rohmer for two years. Rohmer taught Cusick to pursue what she loves, to be courteous of everyone around her, and respect the people in her life.
“[Rohmer] was an amazing person and fantastic teacher,” Cusick said, “She was accepting of everyone and loved science, she was extremely smart. She honestly was just such a fantastic person, and will be dearly missed. I am so lucky that I had her as a teacher and got to experience her light and her intelligence.”
Kitchens said he thinks the PHS faculty is honored to have known Rohmer.
“Her work ethic, her care for the kids, phenomenal,” Kitchens said.
