Victor C. Helmsing
Mr. Victor C. Helmsing grew up in a house on Old Shell Road across from St. Paul’s School, which at the time was the educational/housing facility for the Brother’s of the Sacred Heart. He has vivid memories of serving as an altar boy for daily masses in the 1950s and 1960s in what is now the St. Paul’s Upper School/Middle School Library. After graduating from Spring Hill College in 1973, Mr. Helmsing worked for General Electric Corporation and later for Baumhauer-Croom Insurance Agency where his love for teaching was sparked when he taught a course in insurance underwriting. He decided to pursue a career in education and received a Masters of Education from St. Michael’s College in Vermont in 1981. He also studied history at the University of Vermont and taught history at Burlington High School for one year where he also worked as a Title I tutor. He then taught a self-contained eighth grade class for two years at St. Joseph’s Catholic School.
Mr. Helmsing returned to Mobile in 1983 where he took a position, which he held for twenty-six years, at St. Paul’s Episcopal School as the 12th grade Government/Economics teacher. In 2009 Mr. Helmsing reduced his teaching role to three classes and accepted the position of Associate Headmaster. In this capacity he worked primarily with the Development and Alumni Offices. In 2010, Mr. Helmsing reduced his teaching role to one class (AP Government/Economics) and accepted the position which he currently holds of Assistant Headmaster and Director of the Upper School.
Mr. Helmsing has loved his twenty-nine years at St. Paul’s and stated “Watching the school grow while maintaining the basic family nature has been a wonderful ride.” In the time that Mr. Helmsing has worked at St. Paul’s he has seen growth in every area of the four pillars of a St. Paul’s experience. He has witnessed the growth of the academic pillar by enhancing the graduation requirements, additions of AP courses and the integration of the AIP program. He has a special fondness in his heart for the AIP program based on his experience as a Title I tutor. Mr. Helmsing has seen the expansion of the arts program to be the preeminent program in the state and region. One thing that Mr. Helmsing was not aware of when he arrived in 1983 was the athletic dominance of the school. He quickly became a fan of all sports and has enjoyed watching the students consistently perform incredible athletic feats earning multiple state championships yearly. His favorite sport is Volleyball and he can frequently be seen at practices and games. Mr. Helmsing’s spiritual wellbeing has been enhanced by working at St. Paul’s. Participating in Chapels and Church services certainly helps with this growth, but observing the community service that students participate in has convinced him that they genuinely understand their social responsibilities. The willingness of the students to work hard for their community and fellow citizens has been a source of inspiration.
Throughout his years at St. Paul’s, Mr. Helmsing has experienced every aspect of school life – as a faculty member, an administrator, a parent and the spouse of an employee. He has had the privilege of teaching his two daughters, Catherine (’02) and Trudy (’03), his four nieces and nephews and working at the same school with his wife, Kindergarten teacher Vaughan Helmsing. He has lived the St. Paul’s way of life where growth, opportunity and a family atmosphere serve as witness to the true nature of St. Paul’s School.