On the last day of Founders Week, at all-school Mass, the 2016-2017 St. John Baptist De La Salle Award was announced. Mr. Dueck was the well-deserved recipient of this esteemed award.

Mr. Dueck teaches Latin and Italian, while also working tirelessly on the school yearbook and running Honors Society. He is known for his endless patience, calm composure, kind words, funny stories, and the ability to connect with all his students.

Mr. Dueck is best known for incorporating his good humor, wit, and quirkiness into his classes. Senior Josh Mohling recalls a humorous Mr. Dueck memory: “One of my most vivid memories with Mr. Dueck comes from the day after the presidential election. That day Mr. Dueck wore bright green pants and called them his ‘post-election Day pants’. Whenever someone would try and bring up the election, he would say ‘hey everyone look at my bright green pants’ and then quickly steer us back on course to Latin.”

Various other students stated that Mr. Dueck uses singing and dancing to help them understand class material. He is a truly dedicated teacher who comes to school every day with the goal of promoting education in way that is enjoyable and fun.

Caitlin Rock, one of Mr. Dueck’s freshmen, said, “Whenever students answer a question wrong in class, Mr. Dueck is always patient and responds, ‘It’s okay, you’re still a good person.’”

Mallory Lindahl, a student of Mr. Dueck all four years of high school, best sums up Mr. Dueck’s impact on the students of Holy Family by saying, “My favorite thing about Signor Dueck is how he lets every student be themselves and doesn’t try to limit creativity. He’s taught me everything from Italian verb conjugations and how to perfectly cook a pizza to how to navigate the streets of Florence. Over the last four years I have definitely been one of his most rowdy (and hilarious) students, but he was always patient with me and the rest of our class. He’s one of those teachers that you can always joke around with and he definitely has inspired me to always be myself, no matter the circumstances.”

Congratulations to Mr. Dueck on this well-deserved award.