Indiana ‘Rookie Teacher of the Year’ drowns with her brother in Lake Michigan accident

A beloved Indiana high school teacher, who was named “Rookie Teacher of the Year,” died alongside her younger brother in a drowning accident — just months after she received the prestigious honor.

Hannah Zweig, a 21-year-old life skills teacher at John Adams High School in South Bend, and her brother Yosef, 18, drowned in Lake Michigan during a family trip this week, WNDU reported.

Zweig told the outlet in an interview months before her death that Yosef was developmentally disabled.

The circumstances surrounding the drowning have not been revealed.

John Adams Principal James Seitz confirmed the heartbreaking news of her death to the community on Wednesday, praising Zweig’s dedication to her students and teaching.

Seitz recalled that the promising young educator “worked tirelessly as a life skills teacher and made learning the cornerstone of her life.”

“She built positive relationships with all of her students and always worked to find ways for them to have success,” Seitz wrote.

“Most importantly, she was a friend to everyone she encountered. She always saw the best in people and made everyone around her better because of her hard work and positive attitude.”

Zweig graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Excelsior University in Albany, NY, in 2023, according to her LinkedIn.

She was also enrolled in a master’s degree program in special education and teaching at Grand Canyon University.

Zweig was awarded “Rookie Teacher of the Year” during the South Bend Community Schools’ Teacher of the Year Celebration in April.

Zweig described her first year as a teacher as “both challenging and incredibly rewarding.”

“I’m grateful for the support of my colleagues, the encouragement from leadership, and the opportunity to work with such inspiring students each day,” she wrote on her LinkedIn.

After finishing up her first year as a teacher, the 21-year-old wrote that the job “challenged me, pushed me out of my comfort zone, and taught me lessons that no college course ever could.”

“Teaching has reminded me that success isn’t measured only by academic progress, but by the connections we build, the confidence we help create, and the small moments that make a lasting impact,” Zweig said.

Seitz told WNDU that Zweig reached out to him looking for a job right as she was finishing up her bachelor’s degree — and that her dedication to her students and family is what stood out to him.

“I actually received an email from her about two years ago, explaining that she was finishing up her degree and she would be interested in a life skills teaching position at Adams High School,” Seitz told the outlet.

“And you could see from the tone of her email the compassion that she had for young people, especially young people with special needs.”