In loving memory of Highland Elementary art teacher Mr. David Jergenson, who sadly passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, October 1 from complications resulting from streptococcal pneumonia at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, The Heights Herald spoke to several friends, family, staff and students who will miss the delightful person responsible for so much beauty, joyful memories and happiness to their lives. Jergenson worked and lived in Columbia Heights for two years and is survived by husband Dennis, who is an active parent in the Columbia Heights Public Schools (CHPS) community and daughter Sunny, who attends Highland.
“My students loved Mr. Jergenson because he was so full of energy!” Highland Elementary fourth grade teacher Ms. Michelle Radermacher said. “They enjoyed his art projects and felt that Mr. Jergenson was always encouraging them to think in different ways.”
As many remember Mr. Jergenson, they say he was the funniest a teacher could be while also being an eternally kind and helpful person to all. He would often find ways to cheer up anyone who needed a little comfort in trying times, even while also teaching foundational art skills.
“Mr. Jergenson was really kind,” Abigail Plaza Hernandez (3) said. “He helped me draw a snowman. He sang to me when I was mad or sad.”
He quickly became known around school as a staff member and parent advocate who could help out at a moment’s notice, whether it was a fellow parent or colleague, student or neighbor. Even looking back during a time of great sadness, Highland students also easily light up and grin as they think back on all the times he made them laugh, which is itself another kind of helping out.
“Mr. Jergenson was a funny art teacher who made funny faces and sounds,” Michai Dabney (3) said.
This sentiment was shared by colleagues like Highland LEAP teacher Ms. Kathleen Kerber, who arranged for and helped organize the start of a school memorial fund in Jergenson’s honor to help support his family in the weeks following his passing. Kerber’s students, as well as several others, followed suit with their own kind of memorial by drawing pictures of their beloved art teacher and lining the halls outside his classroom with words and images of remembrance and warmth.
“I loved how he had different hair colors and his goofy socks,” Margot Culbert (5) said. This vibrant visual was well-represented in the students’ drawings of Jergenson.
Many of these works also recalled the countless memorable activities and skills the dearly departed teacher led and helped students develop in his classroom. From clay figures to abstract painting and beyond, he was known for being as innovative and thoughtful in his lessons as he was in his everyday interactions with all.
“Mr. Jergenson did nice projects with us like jitterbugs,” Edison Thao (4) said, referring to the final art assignment students in Ms. Kathleen Kerber’s LEAP class were working on when Jergenson passed, which was a one-of-a-kind process blending science and aesthetics, creating vibrating, moving “bugs” designed using found objects collected from around students’ homes.
Despite only having been a part of the CHPS family for a short time, Mr. Jergenson became well-known very quickly as a talented artist in how own right, specializing in pottery above all. An active member of and volunteer at Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis since 2018, he brought undeniable expertise and inspiration to each and every young artist he encountered.
“With his wisdom and experience, Mr. Jergenson always made the art room a brighter place,” Highland Elementary Principal Ms. Michelle Janke said. “Mr. Jergenson touched the lives of every student at Highland. He truly believed that all students were an artist at heart. [He] will be missed by so many, yet he will stay in our hearts forever.”
Jergenson came to Columbia Heights after 24 years of teaching art in the St. Michael-Albertville school district, which was preceded by earning an undergraduate and master’s degree in art education at Concordia College in Moorhead. Several friends, former coworkers and family members celebrated his life with a memorial service and visitation at Glenwood Lutheran Church in Jergenson’s hometown of Glenwood on October 5.
“It’s never easy hearing about the loss of someone who has made such a big impact in our lives,” Janke said. “In times like these, finding the right words to express our thoughts and feelings is a real struggle.”
If you are ever dealing with feelings of loss or grief following the death of a loved one or someone who made an impact in your life, remember that CHPS employs several qualified professionals, including psychologists, therapists and social workers. Ask a teacher or administrator about how to get connected with someone in your building.
