It hurts to say goodbye, and this case is no exception. It’s official: one of SMCHS’s teachers is soaring away.

Art teacher Emily Dilbeck, who has worked at SMCHS for eight years, is leaving the nest for Sacramento. Her last day is Friday, Oct. 17.

While she has imparted many lessons to her students, Dilbeck said that she is often the one learning.

“Sometimes I’m inspired by your artwork or something you say in a day that could change my perspective about my world,” Dilbeck said. “Or if I’m having a negative day, my students may say something that makes me laugh and it’s like, ‘Oh!’ That’s like the big picture.”

Dilbeck said the “little things that students say” have left impressions on her, but her favorite memory was something she came up with on a whim: the famous whistling scandal.

Back in 2011, a student overheard Dilbeck whistling and was impressed by her talent.

“Wow, Mrs. D you’re really good at whistling!” he said.

“Thanks,” Dilbeck said, without missing beat. “I should be good, considering I was the State Whistling Champion.”

While Dilbeck said she was “obviously joking”, the student believed her and the rumor caught on.

“The next thing I knew, the class was asking all about what being a whistling champ was and how I got into it and how the contest went,” Dilbeck said. “I went with it, all the while thinking that for sure they couldn’t believe me. But they did, and it was awesome! It seemed soon enough all of my students knew I was the state whistling champ and each year since I’ve had students ask about it, and I’ve continued to keep the story alive.”

The lowdown on being a whistling champ:

How does the contest go?

“Like a spelling bee you hear a word and then repeat it back. However, with Whistling, you hear a song like Mozart for example and then you have to repeat back the song precisely.”

What did you get for winning?

“Scholarship money to attend Pepperdine and a trophy. The trophy is actually a gift a friend made for me when I told him about this story getting out of control with my students.”

Do you still compete?

“Yes, I had a whistling performance at the OC Fair a few summers ago. I actually had one student who knew it was a joke, and he convinced a few students…to go watch only to find it must have been cancelled. I thought for sure they’d get it by then, but the whistling champ status continued.”

How did you get into whistling?

“My parents signed me up since I was good at it and they were proud.”

Such humor — along with her relaxing music and occasional YouTube video — will be dearly missed by all art students. And she will miss her time in the art room, as well.

“It’s…watching a kid realize that they’re really good at art even when they thought they didn’t have any art skills,” Dilbeck said. “There’re really too many things that have happened that I love to remember.”

Before she goes, Dilbeck wants to leave us with her final lesson:

“Keep God first. Keep making great art. And don’t take yourself too seriously.”