It’s late October, leaves falling and the weather chilling. As students walk into English, what they notice first are the lights off and a teacher dressed in a black suit and green jewelry, ready to pass out copies of “Frankenstein” to students. This teacher is Michele Lewis, and she is retiring after dedicating 31 years to the crafts of writing, reading and bringing creativity to every room she enters.

Lewis did not originally plan on becoming a teacher, but she was motivated to increase her knowledge in literature after overhearing college students discussing what they were reading.

“I originally wanted to be a rock and roll journalist…[but] while I was working as a writing tutor…I really liked listening to the grad students who were English majors talk about poetry. I felt very underread, so I would write down titles and read them…When I went back to school [a few years later], I was an English major to become an English teacher,” Lewis said.

When Lewis began teaching at West, she was also the yearbook advisor. Current advisor Sharon Swanson assisted Lewis, and the two quickly got close. Swanson has since seen Lewis’s skills implemented for her students.

“She is an exceptionally amazing teacher. She knows her stuff and knows how to present it to her many, many classes in such a way that she makes learning a pleasure,” Swanson said.

Lewis has been the sponsor of Expressions for the past 11 years, and has transformed the club to welcome anyone to participate through the club’s annual book, showcasing work created by writers and artists throughout the year. Expressions president and past student of Lewis, senior Andrew Thompson, shares that he felt Lewis’s welcoming spirit since the first time he attended the club.

“She’s very welcoming and warm with everybody. I just remember the first time when I came to the first [Expressions] meeting back in my freshman year, before I even knew her, she was just standing at the door with a tray of cookies,” Thompson said.

With Lewis’s retirement, English teacher Ron Feiereisel will be taking over the sponsorship of Expressions next year. Feiereisel has seen how Lewis brings a creative energy into the English department and Expressions.

“Lewis has boundless energy and a wonderful sense of humor that keeps the department lively during the school year…I think the most unique thing about Ms. Lewis is her commitment to creativity. It brightens everything up and inspires us all,” Feiereisel said.

Lewis has developed many memories over the years, but she believes she will mostly miss the sound of her students laughing in class.

“In the spring of 2021, there were limited class meetings held in person at school. When I heard the eight or ten students in an Images of Literature class talking to each other and giggling, I started crying because it just sounded so beautiful…I love hearing kids laugh, I’ll definitely miss that,” Lewis said.

Lewis plans to work at Ravinia part-time throughout her retirement and plans to pick up old hobbies and catch up with her reading.