Becky Gerlowski, who taught Web Design, Guided Research and Computer Programming at CHS, died May 15 at age 39 due to complications with her 22-year-long battle with cancer.
She will be survived by her husband and her three sons and two stepsons.
“Mrs. Becky Gerlowski was a role model for each of us,” Principal Joan Benz said. “She lived each day to the fullest as she devoted herself to her family and her CHS students. What an honor it has been for me to see the courage Mrs. Gerlowski exhibited each day.”
According to administrator Edward Reed, Gerlowski was a strong asset to the CHS community.
“She was a delightful lady who was always willing to help out in any way she could,” Reed said.
Software Applications teacher James Collins worked in the computer science department with Gerlowski.
“She was great to work with,” Collins said. “She was very knowledgeable, and she had done some really great things here.”
Senior Alex Leventer had a close relationship with Gerloswki, and worked with her to revamp and improve the CHS website.
“She was a loving and caring woman who was passionate about what she taught,” Leventer said.
“She loved her students and took care of all of us. She really loved teaching and you could tell because she came to class as often as possible even when you could tell she was hurting.”
According to Leventer, Gerlowski tried to make every student feel welcome in her classroom.
“She always had a smile on her face despite having cancer for 22 years,” Leventer said. “For every single one of our birthdays she would go out and buy a big birthday cake for the class.”
Junior Ronke Obayomi had Gerlowski for programming.
“She was such a nice person,” Obayomi said. “She knew what she was doing when she taught me programming, and she always helped me a lot. [When I needed help], she stood over me for about 10 minutes to help me with just one thing.”
Gerlowski’s presence and passion will be deeply missed by the CHS community.
“It’s sad to lose a teacher who was so passionate about what she taught,” Leventer said. “She will be missed by all of her students.”
