Jérôme Hermeline finished his sixth and final year at Harvard-Westlake this year, after serving as World Language Department Head for three years. He will teach French at Horace Mann School in New York next year.

Hermeline said he will miss the students, faculty members and close friends he has made at Harvard-Westlake when he leaves, but that he is excited for the new opportunity.

“I love all my classes and the relationships we build together,” Hermeline said. “[I will also miss] the very hard-working staff and maintenance that we are extremely lucky to have, because if the school can function day after day, it is all thanks to them. I’m really grateful for all they do for faculty and students.”

Hermeline said that serving as both a department head and a teacher provided him with valuable connections to the faculty, who impacted his development as an educator and his life in general.

“[I learned] the power of to-do lists, thanks to [Spanish teacher] Margot Riemer, who was the previous department chair,” Hermeline said. “[I also learned that] life can be hectic or chaotic, but it will get better. Small issues are annoying and might seem the end of the world, but they truly are not. Relativizing helped to keep my head out of the water when I felt overwhelmed.”

He also said he learned the importance of hard work even if it seems to go unnoticed.

Margot Riemer, who was the Department Head of World Languages before Hermeline, said she is excited for his future.

“As a teacher, he’s very scholarly and well prepared,” Riemer said. “He really cares about his students and about their learning. As a colleague, he is kind and generous: generous with his time and with his ideas.”