On Feb. 5, Cherokee High School’s students and staff were gently told the heartbreaking news of the passing of beloved teacher, Mrs. Gutierrez. She was born in Philadelphia and had lived in Mt. Laurel since 2013.  

Mrs. Gutierrez is survived by her husband, Juan, her mother, Lee Ratkis, and her dog, Linus, whom she treated as her own child. She was passionate about everything in her life, from her love of cooking and reading (everything from Shakespeare to Jane Austen), to her hardcore love of the Philadelphia Eagles, especially as a Philadelphia native. 

Her greatest passion, however, would always be teaching. She’d always had a passion for it, ever since she was a little girl; however, she wasn’t sure what it was she wanted to teach until she went to high school, right here at Cherokee. Growing up, her grandmother, Franca Tagliamonte, would sing and speak in Italian, which ignited her love of languages, which was furthered by her opportunity to take Italian at Cherokee.

She attended the University of Delaware for college, where she majored in education, as well as Italian. She was able to study abroad in Siena, Italy, which was a dream come true, surpassed only by the dream job she landed working as an Italian teacher at Cherokee High School. She taught here for 17+ years and was chosen as the department coordinator in 2021. 

Cherokee recently hosted their annual World Language Honor Society Induction Ceremony on March 12. For the past couple years, Mrs. Gutierrez had been in charge of organizing the entire event. In honor of her efforts and profound effect on the school, a special remembrance was held for her during the Italian language segment. Emma Eastman — a senior who had been a part of the Italian program at Cherokee for all of her four years — had a close relationship with Mrs. Gutierrez and was asked to make a speech at the event to honor her. She spoke highly of the spirit and kindness of her late teacher, and how she was an inspiration to all students who decided to try the language. Eastman then revealed how she had gone throughout the school to sell Valentine’s grams.

Through the students’ generosity, she was able to raise $260 for a local animal shelter, as Mrs. Gutierrez had requested. Mrs. Gutierrez’s husband and mother were also present at the event and were able to hear the beautiful impact that she left on this community. 

The Italian club hosted a meeting later on, where they each wrote a letter to the family of Mrs. Gutierrez on her immense influence and effect on them, as well as to offer words of kindness for their teacher. They put these letters together in a booklet, and quotes from it are included throughout this article.

Mrs. Gutierrez was an inspiration to this community. She always brought a smile to the people she talked to, whether that be her coworkers, her students, her family, or just people she passed on the street. Her zest for life was something people truly loved about her, as she loved to share her joys with everyone, from teaching her young nephew Italian, to sharing a new restaurant with her husband. Keeping with her love of animals, it has been requested that instead of flowers, donations be made to a local animal shelter in her name instead.