LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Brock Rumohr was nominated by a student.

"'I've seen what you've made; you have the skills for this,' Mr. Rumohr reassured me as we discussed an upcoming piece for my AP Studio Art portfolio. I wasn't expecting to hear anything like that first thing in the morning, but it made me grin. I can't remember the last time a teacher said something like that to me – if one ever has," said the student.

"At Arrowhead High School, I have had Mr. Rumohr as a teacher every year. During my freshman year, I wore my dad's jean jacket with patches from his favorite bands; this sparked a conversation I will always cherish. I had never really connected with a teacher, and here I was, sitting in my introductory art class, talking to Mr. Rumohr about Metallica and AC/DC. Mr. Rumohr didn't know that my dad had passed away three years before; I doubt he knew that conversation would help me as much as it did. He made me feel like someone he wanted to get to know, not just another student he had to teach," said the student.

"In my sophomore year, I worked with metal and plaster molds for the first time. I loved it, and we talked about how this was a good way to start a business. That's when I realized Mr. Rumohr isn't only a teacher and a father; he's also a small business owner. He had talked about his work outside of teaching before, but it never really hit me until then," said the student.

"Mr. Rumohr pushes all his students to work with new mediums, develop new ideas, and create something new. He always has; that's one of the things that helps us grow so much. He also has all of us talk through our ideas – which may sound small, but it's the most important thing he's taught me – and helps us see the areas of our piece that need work and get ideas from others," said the student.

"Once, I was talking to my cousin; she had gone to Kettle Moraine High School, and (as usual) I was talking about my art. I mentioned a conversation with Mr. Rumohr, and she immediately recognized his name," said the student.

"'Wait, Mr. Rumohr? As in Brock Rumohr', she had asked.

'Yeah? He's my art teacher. How do you know him,' I asked, so confused.

'He was my art teacher in high school; he's amazing!' We talked for almost an hour about his classes and how much they helped us as artists. It was funny how he managed to be both of our teachers when we were so far apart in age and went to different high schools.

"Mr. Rumohr is the type of person who makes each of his students feel important and like their work matters because that's just a fact to him. He is the most supportive, dedicated, caring teacher I've ever had, and I will always be grateful for how he has helped me grow," said the student.