Theology teacher Susan de Boisblanc and science teacher Amy Tassin were honored recently as recipients of Jesuit’s Profile Award.

Two Jesuit High School teachers were recently honored as recipients of the 2015 Profile of a Jesuit Teacher Award, an annual recognition of faculty excellence during the school year.

This year’s recipients were theology teacher Susan de Boisblanc and science teacher Amy Tassin whose profiles below provide a glimpse into why these faculty members were nominated and selected for this year’s honor.

Teachers are nominated by their colleagues against the standard of being Open to Growth, Religious, Loving, Intellectually Competent, Professionally Competent, and Committed to Justice. In addition to a commemorative plaque, each teacher this year received $5,000.

Mrs. Susan de Boisblanc (standing, far right with red scarf) accompanied Jesuit’s Pro-Life Club on their annual trek to Washington, D.C. in January.

Profile Award Honoree Susan de Boisblanc

Susan de Boisblanc is wholeheartedly invested in Jesuit High School. In advancing the spiritual mission of the school, Susan is a role model for the students as a person of faith.

She participates regularly in Kairos and Metanoia retreats, and students know that she is someone with whom they can discuss their faith. She co-moderates the Pro-Life Club — one of the more active clubs on campus — praying regularly at local abortion facilities and leading the annual March for Life trip to Washington, D.C. Susan also assists with Adoration on Fridays.

In the academic realm, Susan excels in the areas of sacred scripture and bioethics, and she has served on the Ignatian Identity Team. She makes connections between classroom lessons and what is going on in the boys’ lives and what will be important to them in the future. She exposes them to profound thinkers and challenges them both to think and to engage their hearts.

Susan cares deeply for all of her students, taking a keen interest in their lives and well-being. And they know this! Additionally, she is able to reach a number of students with whom other teachers struggle to connect.

Outside the classroom, Susan goes above and beyond. In addition to moderating the Pro-Life Club, she moderates the Ultimate Frisbee Club, tackling the difficult task of finding practice space and then attending practices and games despite a personal schedule that is already hectic.

Susan is a fixture at student dances, nights of reflection, and athletic events. Inside and outside the classroom, Susan sharpens her students’ minds, strengthens their faith, and supports them in all they do. She clearly models the ideal characteristics of the Jesuit High School teacher.

Mrs. Amy Tassin had a small role as the court stenographer in the Phils’ 2013 spring production of The Producers. She is seated far left on stage.

Profile Award Honoree Amy Tassin

Amy Tassin’s 15 years at Jesuit have been distinguished by excellence in the classroom and service to the school community.

As a science teacher, Amy is organized, compassionate, and demanding. Students know her as challenging, but fair, a teacher whose humor and patience demonstrate her care for them as individuals but one who also holds them to high intellectual and personal standards. 

Amy is attentive to the contexts of her lessons and of her students, knowing the boys’ academic strengths and weaknesses and often their life challenges. She has a knack for engaging students to test their understanding or push their thinking further. Amy strikes the essential balance between challenging her students and supporting them. She sets high expectations but also helps students meet those expectations by offering her time generously outside class.

Amy’s success as a teacher can be seen in her students’ affection for her despite the rigor of her classes. Amy’s combination of hard work and flexibility can be seen in the structure of her courses. She is a meticulous planner — her ambitious labs and day-by-day quarter schedules are the stuff of legend — but she also frequently revises her curriculum to incorporate new activities and technology. 

Amy’s larger service to the school community is reflected in her volunteerism for retreats, clubs, and committees. Amy was a charter member of the Employee Advisory Committee and has served on the Profile Award Committee throughout its existence. She moderated the Key Club and currently co-moderates the National Honor Society. Amy volunteers at alumni reunions and is a prominent participant in the ALS Walk.

Amy attends Metanoia retreats and even appeared in the Philelectic Society production, The Producers. For the last two years, she has served as Summer School principal and for the last several years has ably filled the role of chair of the science department. For her excellence in the classroom and selfless service to the school community, Amy Tassin is a model Ignatian educator.