The end of the school year is always a time of change for high school students, but at Manitowoc Lincoln, the end of this school year is also marking a major change in the social studies department.
Carl Sieracki has been an instructor in that department at Lincoln for the past 23 years, and when the bell sounds on Thursday, he will officially be retired.
In honor of the beloved teacher, the student senate organized a surprise goodbye ceremony this past Wednesday.
The entire school was kept out of the loop and was gathered in the JFK Fieldhouse under the guise of an onsite evacuation.
Mr. Sieracki tells us it has been an honor to teach and learn from current and past Lincoln students.
“If I don’t learn something from the kids every day, it’s not a good day,” he said. “They give me 10 times more than I give them.”
He also said he was completely surprised by the ceremony, and the kind words spoken about him, noting “You can never know what impact you make unless there is something like this.”
One of the students who spoke highly of Mr. Sieracki was Quinn Maurer, who had nothing but praise for the teacher that has impacted the lives of so many young people.
“He really deserves everything that he earned,” she told Seehafer News. “I really hope he enjoys his retirement.”
Lincoln Principal Lee Thennes tells us he could talk at nauseum about Mr. Sieracki’s impact on the student body.
“He is engaging, he gets them to think, he gets them to make connections about the world around them and what has taken place in our world prior to us,” Thennes said. “He does it in a special way that blends those relationships with the content that just keeps the kids coming back for more.”
Thennes also said that Carl will be “sorely missed”.
Carl was also given a plaque, which named him the inaugural inductee in the Manitowoc Lincoln Social Studies Hall of Fame.
His wife and children were also on hand to see just how much he meant to so many Ships and Shipbuilders.
Seehafer News intern Zoey Zeller helped organize the event, and spoke about his impact, including comments from fellow students, both current and past, and his fellow instructors.
You can read her full speech below.
Carl Sieracki: An Inspiration to Us All
Zoey Zeller
My name is Zoey Zeller, and I’m currently a junior. I recently wrote a piece on Mr. Sieracki and his career here at Lincoln for my journalism class, and I wanted to share it now with you.
Carl Sieracki, a history teacher at Manitowoc Lincoln High School, has definitely impacted the school community, and his retirement brings to light just how many relationships he has formed in his twenty-four years of teaching here.
Originally from Burlington, Connecticut, Carl Sieracki said he has dreamed of becoming a teacher since third grade.
“I love history, and I wanted to work with history,” he said, regardless of the income that comes along with it. Similar to his job at Door County Trolley, he focuses on the connections and the experience with the history he gains from it. Sieracki teaches World History, AP U.S. History, and IB European History, as well as his experience with various social studies classes and even literature.
When asked about his decision to retire, he said that he thought about it during COVID, but “[he] didn’t want to go out in chaos.” Given this is a relatively normal year, he thought it was right.
“We have wonderful young teachers coming in and I felt that I’m leaving it in good hands,” Sieracki said. “They’ll never be me, because that would be boring. But they will be better, and they will be them.”
His colleagues describe him as the “wisest” of them all, and “the voice of reason” in the social studies department.
“My goal is to be as good as him. I want to be half the teacher he is,” said Nicole Simonar, another history teacher at Lincoln High School. “He definitely left his legacy.”
Matt Kadow, a history, government, and economics teacher at Lincoln, has known him for 25 years when Sieracki served as his high school soccer coach. He said it’s “serendipitous that [they] started teaching together at the Maritime Museum.” Carl Sieracki also served as his mentor while he student-taught.
The duo hosts a talk show about Manitowoc history, titled “Weird Manitowoc”.
“During COVID we did weekly or biweekly videos on Manitowoc history to keep people connected and engaged,” Kadow said. He told me that he often finds himself asking: “What would Carl do?”
Carl Sieracki has had hundreds of students in his classes, as well as many who take part in the clubs he advises. Nadia Kakatsch, a student and a three-year member of the Student Senate told me that he’s “always been welcoming and easy to joke around with.” Many people I spoke to admire his openness and the advice he gives to anyone who needs it.
Students have come to recognize him wearing a suit almost every day. “He’s always looking his best, even with the grey spots,” said London Vang, the current sophomore vice president. Sieracki is also known for his special attire on Wednesdays, because “on Wednesdays we wear pink.”
“He makes the subject more like he’s a storyteller, which makes it a lot more interesting. He’s really good with anyone at any level of understanding,” stated Ella Schram, a past student of Sieracki’s.
Another past student, Logan Anderson, said Sieracki is “absolutely incomparable with other high school teachers…he has an incredible knowledge base about history.”
“He thrives off student connections,” said Makenna Zeller, another former student of his who now attends UW-Madison for nursing. “I did not like history, but if I had to take it he would be the teacher I would want.”
“I was always excited to go to his classroom because there was always something to look forward to.” -Richard Goergen, class of 2015.
“He leads by a great example of what it means to be an educator and a great human.” -Rachael George, social studies department.
“His class made me enjoy learning history. I’ve never enjoyed it before.” -Lillian Garrington, class of 2025.
“I still remember my yearbook message from him and it always makes me smile. He is a wonderful teacher, and he will always be my favorite.” -Mollie Stiefvater (steef-odder), class of 2015.
Sieracki’s retirement is very bittersweet for not only me but for everyone who has created a relationship with him over his many years of teaching. He looks back on his career as a whole and says that all of the schools he has taught at have advantages, but Lincoln is much more exciting.
“My eyes have always been opened to the amazing abilities of students and I learn from them every day, which makes this job fabulous,” Sieracki said.
Carl Sieracki will always leave a lasting impact on the hearts of everyone who’s passed through his life. Whether you’re a student in his class, a member of the clubs he’s involved in, a coworker, or even a student at Lincoln High School, Mr. Sieracki will always be in everyone’s hearts.
Thank you for your dedication.
