Ms. Menard Concludes a Heartfelt Career

Ms. Menard holds a retirement gift from one of her students. Photo Credit: Evelyn Yao

By EVELYN YAO

Ms. Wendy Menard, who has been teaching math at Midwood since 2011, left the hive at the end of the fall semester in order to take care of her health.

Ms. Menard, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, said that she never really considered stopping working until this fall, when she saw that she just couldn’t come into work at all.

Her cancer is a progressive disease, so the longer you have it, the more symptoms you get, she said. 

“For the first eight years or so, I had no symptoms,” she said. “I was in treatment, and I had no symptoms, but the disease was still there. Over time, as the disease progresses and grows within your body, it starts to affect how your body functions.” 

In November, Ms. Menard had to take four weeks off of work to receive treatment for her cancer. She is currently on chemotherapy and focused on getting stronger. Some of the symptoms she experiences include loss of appetite and fatigue.

“The fatigue is not just like being sleepy,” she said. “I’ll be sitting here and I’ll say, ‘Oh the floor looks really good, I feel like lying down on it.’ That’s how tired you are.” 

“In my early classes, sometimes I have to sit down more, and there were a couple of times where I had to get someone to come in and give me a break for a few minutes,” she said. 

Although it wasn’t an easy decision, Ms. Menard has opted to retire for the sake of her health and because her condition was limiting her ability to teach.

She said, “I’ve always been the kind of teacher who loves teaching. I love trying new things, I love teaching new classes, I love the students, and when I feel that I can’t put that kind of energy into my teaching, then I just can’t teach.”

In the eight years that Ms. Menard has been at Midwood, she has taught nearly every math class, including Algebra 1 and 2, Discrete Math, and AP Computer Science Principles. However, her favorite class to teach has always been Geometry. 

Ms. Menard said that she will miss her colleagues, but most importantly, her students. 

“You guys are hilarious,” she said. “Once I’m in a classroom and I’m talking to the students, I always feel better.”

Ms. Menard will be dearly missed by fellow Midwood staff, teachers, and students.

Ms. Shahibun Alam, who shares the same math office with Ms. Menard, said, “She’s my person. She was always by my side when I was working, and now she won’t be there anymore when I look to my right. She was also my mentor when I started, and she was there for me when teaching got hard. She was always there for me.”

Ms. Alam added, “Regardless of what she was doing, if I asked her something, she would stop to support me, whether it was about work or something personal.”

Ms. Patricia Lazo, the assistant principal of the math department, said that Ms. Menard’s best qualities are her kindness, intelligence, and curiosity. 

“She’s a lifelong learner,” Ms. Lazo said. “She is always looking for ways to become a better teacher for her students. I will miss seeing her face every day.”

Ms. Menard was also the teacher who introduced Desmos, an online instructional tool, to the math department.

“Any math teacher in the building who you see doing Desmos, it was thanks to Ms. Menard,” said Ms. Lazo. “The idea of incorporating technology into classrooms, that’s all her. She’s the one who pushed for that.”

Ms. Lazo added, “She’s also one of the original teachers who pushed me to start any type of computer science class in this building.” The Computer Science classes Midwood now offers are AP Computer Science Principles, AP Computer Science A, and Python, an introductory class to coding. 

One of Ms. Menard’s goals is to go back to Vermont this summer. 

“I love Vermont, it’s my happy place,” she said. “I have been going up there and loving my time on Lake Dunmore and Lake Champlain for many years.”

No matter what, Ms. Menard will always be a hornet, and she will be remembered for the contributions she made to the school. 

“We understand she has to do what’s best for her and her family,” said Ms. Lazo. “We wish her the best retirement ever. She will always have a home at Midwood.”