After years of opening opportunities for new cultures, languages, and ways of thinking, one beloved foreign language teacher is preparing to say goodbye to the classroom. Known for turning simple lessons into journeys across the world, he inspired generations of students to step beyond their comfort zones and embrace the unfamiliar.
As he retires, his legacy lives on not just in vocabulary and grammar, but in the confidence and curiosity he sparked in every student who walked through his door.
Tom Wilkinson has been a foreign language teacher at Mount Vernon High School since 1995. Wilkinson was originally a German teacher until there was a need for him to become a Spanish teacher around 2012. Since then, he has taught both languages. “I like them both but in different ways,” he said. “German is what I’m most familiar with, so sometimes it is easier. Spanish is fun. I love to read books and listen to music in Spanish. Mexico is my favorite destination to visit,” Wilkinson said.
Now in the present day of 2026 he’s retiring after 31 years of teaching at MVHS.
“It feels kinda weird. There are some things that are exciting, but the other part is that when I’m usually working on things I want to plan for the next year, but now I just toss things away or give away,” Wilkinson said about cleaning out his room and moving on. “A big chunk of my work is going to be finished.”
Outside of school Wilkinson developed a team of a few archers to start up the Mount Vernon Archery Club in 2007. The club has grown exponentially. It started with just a few kids and is now up to around 200. Mount Vernon archers perform well at local tournaments, state, and nationals as a team and individually. Wilkinson passed archery to other coaches in 2018.
Students appreciate his willingness to work individually with them. “He works with students one-on-one trying to help them get better,” said sophomore Weston Haskell. Haskell says that Wilkinson has influenced him in many ways, convincing him to do archery and keep taking Spanish.
“He’s always treated people as they were equal and with respect,” said junior Owen Wheat, showing how much he cares for students. Wheat also stated that Wilkinson’s classroom was different from all the other classrooms, and for this reason, he felt like it was a place where he actually wanted to learn.
Wilkinson has seen many changes since being at MVHS, such as the new high school being built, and he had to move from the current middle school over to the high school. “Another big change is going from traditional grading to EBR and also schedule changes,” said Wilkinson. He also states that he has seen many teachers, principals and superintendents come into the school district and go out.
Some career highlights for Wilkinson were being able to take German and Spanish trips over the years, and having student teachers, including one student teacher from Germany. As a graduate from MVHS in 1986, Wilkinson was also able to teach with some of the teachers he had as a student.
In 2024, Wilkinson got the opportunity to walk on the stage for Mount Vernon Alumni Association, for his Community Impact Alumni Award for archery.
Some of his most memorable moments while teaching was “Being able to have my daughter (Emily Vislisel MVHS 2009) in classes and her husband (Jeff Vislisel MVHS 2008).”
Wilkinson says he is still undecided on what he really wants to do after retirement, he just wants to chill for a bit. He plans on traveling and competing in more national archery tournaments.
