Remembering Jake Kelly: Schools Mourn Popular Teacher

Update: Funeral services for for Monday.

The Waukesha STEM Academy was shocked and saddened yesterday to learn about

Jake Kelly was the kind of teacher who would go the extra mile for his students, valued input from parents and coworkers, and helped the school and its community however necessary, according to all involved.

His death will leave a hole not easily filled in the close-knit school community. Kelly, who had heart complications and died while out running Monday, taught seventh-grade math at this year and taught fourth grade at last year.

“We’re lucky to have him in our school,” said Saratoga Principal Ryan Krohn. “He did everything that makes a school a community. If we needed something, Jake was there.”

With his can-do attitude and giving nature, Kelly was quick to say he’d help, in big and small ways, in the classroom as expected but also beyond, setting up a dodge ball tournament, running a homework club, taking extra training to help a child in his classroom or learn new teaching techniques.

“He was the best teammate anybody could ever have,” Krohn said.

It’s as a teacher – in the classroom and after school – that Kelly really shined.

“He sees the opportunity within every student,” Krohn said. “He went above and beyond to work with kids.”

What made Kelly special, all say, is the way he treated the children, encouraging them in tough situations and always finding something positive to say. For Ben Kartheiser, a student teacher in his classroom at Randall last year, it left a lasting impression.

“He really made kids feel like they mattered and what they said was important,” Kartheiser said. “… He wasn’t like some of the teachers I had as a kid who said, ‘I’m the teacher and you have to listen to me.’ There were boundaries but it was more like, “We’re here to work together.’”

What also impressed him was Kelly’s work ethic. Sometimes when teachers have student teachers, they use that time to relax, Kartheiser said.

“Not Jake. He would work with other kids or small groups who needed extra help during that time,” he said.

For parent Kathy Kussow, who was a volunteer in Kelly’s class last year and had formed a friendship with him, Kelly’s death was a shock. Kelly was only 30 when he died, celebrating his 30th birthday last month.

“He had so many years ahead of him, so many lives he would have touched,” she said. “It’s just such a tragedy.

“The world has lost a wonderful, wonderful man.”

Kussow said that Kelly was a “mature” 30-year-old, and “old soul,” perhaps something caused by his heart condition, she said, which was downplayed.  The exact cause of Kelly’s death has not yet been released, although mention has been made of a heart condition.

Kelly’s death came as a shock to the whole school

They say weathering tough times draws communities closer and this seems to be the case at Saratoga and Randall. The children, with the help of teachers and counselors, have shared in community circles, collective sharing time, about Mr. Kelly’s death.

“They’re very reflective about what they’re saying,” Krohn said. “The respect level they’re showing for those who are having a tough time is amazing. The kids are reaching out to others.”

Kelly’s death been difficult for the school’s staff members, who worked closely with him on a daily basis, teaching as a team and celebrating personal and special events together.

”It threw people for a loop,” Krohn said candidly.

“They were professional but also showed they’re human and how you can honor people and grieve, too,” he said.

Overall, Tuesday, despite its difficulties for the school, was a “special day reminiscent of the kind of person Mr. Kelly was,” Krohn said, noting the supportive nature that the tragedy has drawn out of the school community.

It’s perhaps in the words of seventh-grader Maggie Johnson, one of Kelly’s students, that his impact and true character shows:

“With him, math was my favorite subject. I would always look forward to math every day. Here are some things I have to say about him:

“Mr. Kelly was an amazing teacher. He really made everything easy to understand and made it fun.

“Mr. Kelly would always tell jokes but since he was so serious you would barely be able to tell until you actually think about what he said.

“He was the best teacher that I have ever had and I will miss him very much. At my conferences he said, ‘Wow, I am surprised you took a second off of ALEKS [math] to come here.’

“I will always remember that.”