March 2016 LEF Newsletter - Ladue Education Foundation

LEF Quarterly Newsletter
March 23, 2016
Advancing the Excellence of the Ladue School District
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In this Issue:
All-Star Alumni Perform at Rhythm & Hues
Code RED: Our First Student-Driven Grant
Early Supporters Give Capital Campaign a Boost
STEM Scouts Encourages Curiosity and Problem Solving
Honoring a Lifetime of Music Education
Please join us on April 8 for
Aerial View of Proposed LHWHS Renovation
our spring fundraiser, where
Featured Grant
we'll honor music education!
Drumming for Diversity
Tickets & sponsorship
opportunities are available.
Don't wait--Tickets to the
after-hours party are limited
All-Star Alumni Perform at Rhythm & Hues
to the first 100 guests
who purchase them!
Accomplished Ladue School District alumni Brandyn
Burnette ‘08, Marques Carroll ‘96, Daniel Copeland ’08,
Elizabeth Dalbey ’03, Peter Schlamb ’06, Amit Sood ’08, Kevin
Spirtas ’80, and Rachel Kopf Velard ’97 will
provide musical performances at Rhythm & Hues, the LEF's
spring event on April 8. Joined by a line-up of students
from Ladue Horton Watkins High School Percussion
Ensemble, Choir, Strolling Strings and Jazz Combo, these
talented artists are helping the Ladue Education Foundation
celebrate the importance of music education. Favorite local
group Black Creek Band will join the festivities as well for an
evening packed with performances and featuring a live
auction, great food and entertainment, all at a dynamic new
venue in Maplewood. Tickets are available now!
Aerial View of Proposed
LHWHS Renovation
In this short video, you’ll learn
why the project is being
proposed, what improvements
are anticipated to be made if
Prop R passes on April 5, 2016
and get an animated aerial
view of what the outside of a
fully renovated high school
BRANDYN BURNETTE
might look like.
At the age when most are
trying to figure out what
Featured Grant
to be when they grow up,
Brandyn Burnette is
quickly becoming a
musical force to be
reckoned with. The young singer, songwriter and multiinstrumentalist has already put a formidable stamp on the
A special thank you to Cate and
industry with his uniquely infectious blend of pop and soul
Dean Small for funding the
and has officially released his much-anticipated debut EP,
purchase of the HP LaserJet Printer
Made of Dreams.
for Project Lead the Way
engineering classes at LHWHS, as
well as 25 Chromebooks for the
A 2008 LHWHS alumnus, Brandyn is a third generation
wordsmith who has music in his DNA. His father is Capitol
Records R&B artist O’Bryan, who appeared on the Billboard
charts in the 1980s with hits like “The Gigolo.” Enthralled by
his father's music and influences, Burnette learned to play the
piano at age 7 and began writing songs that bridged soul and
eighth-grade math department,
including management licenses,
and textbooks for the high school
math department. For more about
the grants that help advance the
excellence of the Ladue School
District, click here.
pop at just 13.
By the time he arrived in New York City to attend NYU on a full
musical scholarship, Burnette had already penned a catalog of
Featured Grant:
Drumming for Diversity
some 80 original tunes. While in New York, Burnette began
playing gigs wherever he could, garnering both attention and
acclaim for his sharp songwriting and memorable vocals. With
the help of an audio engineering student, Burnette recorded a
demo in his dorm room, which found its way to veteran
manager, Ric Aliberte. In 2011, Burnette signed a recording
contract with Warner Bros. Records and eventually released
the hit single, "Thanks for Nothing.” Additionally, Burnette cowrote “Don’t Say Goodnight” by Nashville trio Hot Chelle
Rae and collaborated with MKTO on their debut album. Most
recently, he has co-written the last two hits for Warner Bros.
artist Jake Miller, as well as “Lucky Man,” the debut single for
Disney sensation Jordan Fisher and the new Charlie Puth
single “KNOW MY NAME” out now on Atlantic Records.
Brandyn was a standout contestant on this season's American
Idol, where he got a great deal of attention for playing an
original song during his audition, even prompting a hug from
Students at Old Bonhomme
Elementary School were
kind enough to thank the
LEF for their REMO World
Drumming 16-Piece Tubano
Package with this delightful
impromptu video. The
drums, which can be shared
with the other elementary
schools, provide
opportunities to participate in
multicultural music
experiences while
improvising and composing
with rhythms.
Harry Connick, Jr.
DANIEL COPELAND
Daniel Copeland graduated
LHWHS in 2008 and is currently
finishing his Master's Degree in
Music Therapy at Maryville
University. He received his
undergraduate degree in Music
Education from Truman State
University and sings in One
Calling all Alumni Musicians!
If you were involved in the
Ladue Schools music program,
we'd love to hear from you!
Too Many, an a cappella group
with five other friends from high school and college.
Daniel is completing his internship in Music Therapy at the
Saint Louis University Cancer Center and will receive his
degree in July. He teaches private voice, piano and guitar
lessons and credits Tom Lowery and the Ladue School District
music program for giving him a strong educational and
performance background.
Please email
[email protected] with
quotes and pictures about how
music has impacted your life,
including beloved educators
who have had an influence. We
MARQUES CARROLL
will incorporate select quotes
A 1996 LHWHS graduate,
Marques Carroll has
become one of Chicago's
into our celebration at Rhythm
& Hues or as part of a memory
book given to our honored
educators.
most sought-out trumpet
players. Carroll attended
DePaul University and
soon began playing
professionally in Chicago with several bands, as well as with
great jazz artists who were special guests with the DePaul
A special thanks to our
2016 Rhythm & Hues
Sponsors
(list current as of 3/21/16)
Jazz Ensemble while he was there. After graduating, Carroll
developed a trumpet studio where he emphasizes the
complete trumpet player and musician for today's working
music scene in all genres and styles. A top call freelance
Headliner Sponsors—$2,500
Radio Arts Foundation
Terry Rogers and Gina KurreRogers
musician, Carroll plays lead trumpet for The Chicago Yestet
and as a soloist for groups and artists such as blues guitarist
Guy King, The Ojays, The Temptations, The Four Tops, R.
Songwriter Sponsors—
$1,000
Kelly, The Tom Matta Big Band, The DePaul Alumni Big Band,
Mark and Michele Gorski
The BMC and The Larry King Orchestra. Carroll has performed
Sue and Patrick Hensley
throughout Europe, Vietnam (Hue Music Festival) and at the
Gail and Keith Kitsis
Paul and Kathy Lang
Alicia and Mark McMachan
Montreal Jazz Festival.
Dana and Barry Sandweiss
Marques Carroll continues to stay active in music education
and is currently the Musical Director for the Chicago Jesuit
Academy, where his curriculum exposes students to jazz
Scott and Nicky Stern
Groupie Sponsors—$500
Marc and Amy Barnett
history, theory and instrumental pedagogy. Carroll continues
Jeff and Jeri Bogard
to do great work within the Chicago Public Schools system,
Jennifer Brinker, Realtor—
giving clinics and master classes in trumpet and music
Circa Properties
Amy and Burt Garland—
performance.
Ogletree Deakins
Dr. Vladimir and Maya Kefalov
ELIZABETH DALBEY
—RedKey Realty Leaders
Rich and Julie LaBonté
Elizabeth Dalbey, a 2003
graduate of LHWHS, has been
teaching in the district for
nine years. She did her
undergraduate work at Miami
University in Ohio and
Ed and Joelyn Levy
Gary Siegel
In Kind Sponsors
Neiman Marcus
Marcia and Adrian Peters—
World Press Printing
received her Bachelor’s
Degree in Music Education.
Elizabeth completed her
Master’s Degree in Music
Education with an emphasis in string pedagogy at The Ohio
The LEF gratefully acknowledges the
generosity of our sponsors:
9th Annual Breakfast Sponsors
State University, where she studied under Dr. Robert Gillespie.
She served as the Sixth-Grade Orchestra area coordinator for
the St. Louis Suburban Music Educators Association for two
years. Currently, Elizabeth teaches fourth-grade violin at
Conway Elementary, Spoede Elementary, and the Fifth Grade
Center, as well as sixth and seventh-grade violin at Ladue
Middle School. She is the director of the Ladue Strolling
Strings.
PETER SCHLAMB
Peter Schlamb, LHWHS
Class of 2006, got an
early start playing
music, taking piano
lessons at the age of five.
When Peter turned
eleven, he discovered
Lionel Hampton and started playing jazz vibraphone. As a
young teenager, Peter played gigs around town with his older
“Presenting” Valedictorian Sponsor
- $5,000
Morgan Stanley—Kurt Jaeger, Michael
Karasick, Robert Millner
Salutatorian Sponsors - $2,500
Dr. Michael and Caroline Chicoine
Click 4 Glik
Richard and Julie LaBonté
Danny and Sherry Wolk
Honor Society Sponsors - $1,000
Dr. Alice Conway
Kaul and Suri Families
Ladue Horton Watkins High School
Parent Association
Ladue Middle School Parent
Association
Ladue West Parent Association
Mike and Reagan Minkler—CMIT
Solutions
Marc and Jennifer Ozimkiewicz
Diane and Rod Patershuk—Berkshire
Hathaway HomeServices Alliance
Reed School Association
Julie and Glen Schuster—Radio Arts
Foundation
Spoede School Association
Scott and Nicky Stern
brother, and by high school he was performing professionally
throughout the St. Louis area. As a senior in high school,
Peter became a member of saxophonist Willie Akins’ working
quartet, where he had the opportunity to share the stage with
top area musicians.
In the fall of 2006, Peter moved to New York City and began
attending New School university. There, he studied privately
with several front runners of today’s jazz scene,
including Stefon Harris, Aaron Parks, Nasheet Waits, Ben
Street, and Aaron Goldberg. While attending school, Peter met
several talented young musicians with whom he began
collaborating and performing, including Ben van Gelder, Kyle
Wilson, and Rick Rosato. Peter graduated with a Bachelor of
Fine Arts degree in Jazz Performance in May 2010.
Currently, Peter remains an active member of the New York
City jazz scene, performing as a sideman with artists such as
Mike Moreno, David Binney, and Logan Richardson in venues
including the Jazz Gallery, 55 Bar, and Fat Cat. Peter also
leads several projects under his own name, and he is in the
process of booking shows throughout the Midwest as well as
Dean’s List Sponsors - $500
Amy and Marc Barnett—Kids Who
Kare Camp
Brandon and Andrea Bezzant
Jeff and Jeri Bogard—R.E.A. Homes
Dr. Mahendra and Padmaja Gunapooti
Gail and Keith Kitsis
Steve Rosenbloom and Natalie
DiNicola
Special Solutions—Shelley B. Smith
Vantage Credit Union
Friends of Ladue Education
Foundation Sponsors - $250
Themetta Berry
Chartwells
Betsy Heller Cohen
Tracye and Eric Donovan
Education Technology Partners—
Randy Jennings
Chris and Megan Frank
Dr. Donna Jahnke
Growe Eisen Karlen
Drs. Mark and Claudia Krasnoff
Ladue Educators Association
Jodi and Robert Minkler
Gretchen Ross
Tueth Keeney Cooper Mohan &
Jackstadt P.C.
Kristen Wild
in New York.
In Kind Sponsors
Garden Party and David
Mailworks—Richard Kalina
AMIT SOOD
'Due Run 4 Education Sponsors
Amit Sood graduated from
Ladue Horton Watkins High
School in 2008 and attended
college at Saint Louis
University (SLU), where he
received a bachelor's degree
in Marketing with a minor in
Music. While at SLU, Amit
Marathon Sponsors - $1,000
Class of 2022, Ladue Middle School
Class of 2024, Reed Elementary
School
Exercise Wise, LLC and Convergence
Chiropractic Clinic
Diane and Rod Patershuk—Berkshire
Hathaway HomeServices Alliances
Julie and Glen Schuster—Radio Arts
Foundation
Dr. Erin Shannon—Holistic Psychology
& Energy Medicine
Vantage Credit Union
sang in two a cappella
groups: the all-male a cappella group named the Bare Naked
Statues and the co-ed Asian fusion group named Astha. Since
graduating from college, Amit co-founded a six-man a cappella
group with another Ladue School District Alumnus, Daniel
Copeland. More information on Amit and Daniel's current
group, One Too Many A Cappella, can be found at
www.otmacappella.com.
Sprinter Sponsors - $500
Anders CPAs + Advisors
Jeff and Jeri Bogard—R.E.A. Homes
Dr. Sophie Liu
Jogger Sponsors - $250
Drs. Mark and Claudia Krasnoff
Midland States Bank of Ladue
Susie and Jonathan Sachs
In Kind Sponsors
Adventures Screenprinting, Inc.—Jim
and Karen Barker
KEVIN SPIRTAS
Our emcee for the
evening, Kevin Spirtas, is
a 30-year veteran of
acting on Broadway, in
films and on television, as
well as a LHWHS alumnus
Camp Taum Sauk—Nick and Suzy
Smith
Companion
GNC
The Lorenz Family
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Karen Proper
St. Louis Smoothie
True Runner
Kathie and Dan Dolan—Westport Car
Wash
(class of ’80). He is most
recognized as Dr. Craig
Wesley on NBC's: Days of
Our Lives. In 1999 Soap
Opera Digest nominated
Spirtas for Best Villain,
and TV Guide touted him for a Best Supporting Actor Emmy. In
February 2000, Spirtas had the delightful opportunity to play
LEF Board of Directors
Executive Board
Julie LaBonté, President
Julie Schuster, Vice President
Rajiv Chhatwal, Secretary
Nicky Stern, Treasurer
Jodi Minkler, Chair-Allocations Committee
his Days role of Dr. Craig Wesley opposite Matt Leblanc's Dr.
Jennifer Ozimkiewicz, Chair--Business
Drake Ramoray on NBC's Friends.
& Community Partnerships Committee
Jocelyn Fundoukos, Chair--
Most recently, Spirtas starred in the smash hit web series
Winterthorne (ISA7 Nomination - Best Guest Actor in a Drama),
Communications Committee
Amy Barnett, Chair-Development Committee
Lifetime’s upcoming movie: Crossing the Line, Off-Broadway’s
critically acclaimed new play Loaded, and the Off-Broadway
award winning musical Silence! Before that, he starred as
Corny Collins in the Las Vegas Production of Hairspray, and in
September 2003, he was cast as Hugh Jackman’s standby in
the smash hit musical, The Boy From Oz.
Board Members
Jeff Bogard
Tim Cowhey
Tracye Julien Donovan
Michael Kaplan
Vinfung Ko
Rob Millner
Spirtas has starred in numerous films, including Embrace the
Darkness, Striking Resemblance, and Green Plaid Shirt and
has been featured opposite Sir Ian McKellen in Bryan
Singer's Apt Pupil, Ben Affleck in Mark Steven Johnson's
director’s cut of Daredevil, and Olympia Dukakis in A Match
Made in Heaven. Spirtas is also a Tony Award and Outer
Critics Circle Award nominated producer. He is producing the
upcoming new Off-Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen
(Opening May 2016).
Elizabeth Monticelli
Bruce Schneider
Mike Simon
Michelle Spirn
Gaurav Suri
Carol Weisman
Honorary Board Members
Allison Collinger
Anita Shanks Cross
Dr. Pradip Das
Amy Dove
Gary Growe
In the works, Spirtas has co-written a new web-series he will
star in called After Forever, as well as a spiritual talk show,
WhatsYourSide. He can also be seen touring the country and
seven seas performing his hit musical one-man shows Night
and Days, Jersey Men, and Let There be Love. (For info as well
Jill Farmer
Jayne Langsam
Larry Levin
Diane Patershuk
Susan Ryan
Nancy Spewak
as CDs and DVDs see www.kevinspirtas.com).
Affiliate Board Members
Kristen Wild, Executive Director
RACHEL KOPF VELARD
Carolyn Jaeger, Board of Education
Susan Downing, Ladue Schools
Rachel Kopf Velard
(LHWHS class of ’97) is
thrilled to be back in St.
Hayley Arnold, Teacher
Representative
Jill Badalamenti, Teacher
Representative
Louis honoring these
extraordinary music
teachers. Rachel began
her performing career at
the early age of 12,
Donate to support
the LEF
entertaining St. Louis
audiences in productions
at The MUNY (The Wizard
of Oz, Oliver), Opera Theatre of St. Louis (The Very Last Green
Thing), The GoldenRod Showboat (The Sound of Music, Seven
Brides for Seven Brothers), and St. Louis Theatre Factory
(Sunday in the Park with George, Hollywood Review.)
After graduating from LHWHS, Rachel went on to study at The
Boston Conservatory where she obtained a BFA in Musical
Theatre. Shortly after moving to New York City in 2001, Rachel
had the privilege of spending three years starring as Ellen in
the North American Tour of Miss Saigon.
Additional off-Broadway and regional credits include The
Fartise (off-Broadway, Sophia’s), Anything Goes (Olney
Theatre Center of the Arts), Singing in The Rain and The Last
Night of Ballyhoo (Forestburgh Playhouse), and Thoroughly
Modern Mille and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor
Dreamcoat (Stages St. Louis.) Rachel currently lives in
Brooklyn, New York with her husband, singer/songwriter
Julian Velard. She continues to perform throughout New York
City and recently began a second career as a SpeechLanguage Pathologist. Rachel will be forever indebted to Mrs.
Smiley for giving her the support, confidence, and guidance
she needed to follow her heart and go after her dreams.
Code RED: Our First Student-Driven Grant
Most LEF grants are initiated by teachers, but Jessica Thoelke,
a senior at Ladue Horton Watkins High School, has received
2014-2015 LEF
Annual Report
the first LEF grant awarded to a student-led project. Jointly
funded by the Ladue Middle School Parent Association, the
project establishes a coding club at Ladue Middle School
(LMS), which aims to increase interest in technology and
coding. The students are taught using Code RED, a K-12 STEM
curriculum that provides students with hands-on learning
opportunities in areas such as software development, web
design, mobile applications and game design, among others.
Jessica has long
been passionate
about coding and
design and saw a
need at LMS for
a place to
cultivate those
interests. As part
of her Girl Scout
Gold Award
project, she took
on the challenge of creating a club and sought funding from
the LEF. In addition, Jessica was recognized as a 2016 St.
Louis Affiliate winner of the NCWIT Award for Aspirations in
Computing, one of only ten young women from the St. Louis
area.
Jessica will attend Washington University in the fall, where
she plans to incorporate computing and technology into her
pursuit of physics and/or engineering. We'll be following her
career with interest, as there are sure to be more noteworthy
accomplishments ahead!
Music Teachers Make their Wish Lists
As part of our
spring fundraiser,
"Rhythm & Hues,"
the LEF has asked
Ladue School
District music
teachers what they
wish they had in
order to further the
excellence of the music programs at the schools.
The items are as varied as a computer workstation and piano
keyboard for entering scores into musical notation software to
violin cases to field trips to the Sheldon Concert Hall.
Whether or not you attend the event on April 8, you can help
fund teacher wishes by donating on our website before, during
or after the event! For the list of wishes, see our website.
The Ladue School District is fortunate to be able to give
students access to the arts through creation, performance,
and study--a gift which enriches their quality of life and
developing brains. By funding teacher wish grants and
supporting current staff, you can contribute to the
development of the thousands of talented musicians coming
out of Ladue Schools.
DID YOU KNOW?
Students in high-quality school music programs score higher
on standardized tests compared to students in schools with
deficient music education programs, regardless of the
socioeconomic level of the school or school district.(Source)
Early Supporters Give Capital Campaign a Boost
The LEF is extremely grateful to those who donated in the
early phase of our Capital Campaign. Nearly $2 million has
already been pledged to support the high school renovation
and will be used in addition to the funds being requested
through the referendum being put before district voters on
April 5, 2016. The generosity of these donors not only helps
fund the proposed renovation of Ladue Horton Watkins High
School, but demonstrates community support and the
willingness of many to take a leadership role:
Drew and Lisa Acree
Anonymous (2)
Amy and Marc Barnett
Joe and Meredith Berger
Dan Berglund and Suellen Greco
Matt and Lizzie Berman
Holly and Marc Bernstein
Sara and Jeff Bernstein
Donna and Andy Bresler
Gary and Kim Bussard
Katherine and Andy Byer
Archna and Ryan Calfee
Chameleon Integrated Services
Clare Chapman
Rajiv and Ravleen Chhatwal
Anita Cross
Pradip Das
Lynn deLearie and Kevin Pumm
Natalie DiNicola and Steve Rosenbloom
Jennifer and Jonathan Deutsch
Tracye and Eric Donovan
Susan Downing
Amy and Kevin Fischer
Holly and Robert Fruend
Jocelyn and Ted Fundoukos
Mark and Kim Gaertner
Debbie and David Gerardi
Lisa and Jim Goebel
Dawn Grench
Natalie and Neil Handelman
Jeff and Susie Horowitz
Steve and Lynn Hurster
Michael and Jodi Kaplan
Erin Katke
Betsy and Ben Kerner
Gail and Keith Kitsis
Tracy and Scott Kolker
Julie and Rich LaBonté
David Lang and Suzanne Epstein-Lang
Peggy and Larry Levin
Joelyn and Ed Levy
Michael and Katie Loynd
Amanda and Michael Lucier
Chris and Lisa Malone
Joanne McAndrews and Larry Eisenman
Mark and Sarah Miller
Rob and Joy Millner
Charlotte and Bob Minkler
Reagan and Mike Minkler
Robert and Jodi Minkler
Elizabeth Monticelli and Bill Stoll
Nina Needleman
Shelli and Michael Netherton
Old Bonhomme PTO
Diane and Rod Patershuk
Anna and David Poger
Mitzi and Steve Pummer
Marissa and Howard Rosen
Gretchen Ross
Susie and Jonathan Sachs
Joel and Jessica Samson
Barry and Dana Sandweiss
Julie and Glen Schuster
Aaron and Jill Settler
Mike and Shelley Simon
Abbey and Jeff Small
Michelle and Dan Spirn
Eric and Janie Spirtas
Steve and Tricia Spratt
Jeffrey and Martina Stern
Scott and Nicky Stern
Tim and Julie Stern
Gaurav Suri and Anju Gupta
Tueth Keeney Cooper Mohan & Jackstadt, P.C.
Kelly and Mike Waller
Carol Weisman and Frank Robbins
Kristen Wild
If you would like to learn more about making a pledge or
naming opportunities, please contact our Executive Director
Kristen Wild at [email protected] or (314) 983-5334.
STEM Scouts Encourages Curiosity and Problem
Solving
STEM Scouts is
a national pilot
program of the
Boy Scouts of
America (BSA)
focused on fun
ways for girls
and boys, grades
3 - 12, to learn
more about
science,
technology,
engineering and
mathematics
(STEM). STEM
Scouts encourages the natural curiosity of young minds as
they develop skills in leadership, teamwork, problem solving,
and communication. Using hands-on activities, field trips, and
interaction with STEM professionals, youth expand their
knowledge of academic concepts while they have fun and
make friends.
The educational content is designed to be immersive in STEM
programs. Youth develop leadership and communication skills
while learning about opportunities in careers that are
important to our future economy. The STEM Scouts program
aims to teach young people how to be leaders, display
confidence, realize their skills, respects others’ opinions,
become problem solvers in all aspects of life, look for
opportunities to serve others, demonstrate good citizenship,
and show integrity.
The LEF is proud to partner with the BSA and Ladue School
District STEM Coordinator, Dr. Kevin McColgan, to bring this
pilot program to our schools.
Learn More about STEM
Scouts
Honoring a Lifetime of Music Education
Please join the LEF in acknowledging four lifetime achievers
who have been instrumental to the development and growth of
the Ladue Schools' music program.
Our 2016 Retired Music Staff Honorees are Sandy Baldwin,
Lois Percival, Jo Anne Smiley and Jim Waechter. They will be
special guests at Rhythm & Hues on April 8, where we will
show our appreciation for their meaningful contributions to so
many Ladue Schools students over the years.
Sandra Baldwin’s love
affair with music started
in second grade, when
she walked past a
classroom where her
music teacher was
playing piano and loved
the sound so much she
started lessons soon
after.
But it was her third grade
teacher in Taiwan who she credits with inspiring her to
become an educator. Miss Chou read to them every day from
a book called Teach with Love. Sandra has kept the spirit of
that principle with her throughout her twenty years in St. Louis
City schools and subsequent years in the Ladue School
District. Though the environments were very different,
Sandra found that "regardless of their social and economic
upbringings, all children from anywhere in the world, have one
thing in common. They respond well to teachers who respect
them and love them."
Sandy is particularly proud of the changes she implemented
while at Reed Elementary, including implementing the chorus,
Orff ensemble, and a spring concert where the students
performed in Chinese.
A St. Louis native, Lois
Percival knew she
wanted to be a
teacher when she was in
high school, influenced
both by her father, a
pianist, and her high
school orchestra
director. After starting
out in Riverview
Gardens and
Ferguson/Florissant,
she taught music at all
schools in the Ladue
School District and is
credited with founding
the Strolling Strings. Music performance has taken her all over
the world, including several tours of the Strolling Strings in
Europe.
A key component to music success, according to Lois, is
parent involvement. She encourages parents to be involved
with decision making within the district. As she says, "Ladue
School District has earned many awards for its
outstanding programs and superior teaching. Parental
support and involvement are a very important part of this
success."
Lois believes that music fosters creativity and individuality
and that music education fosters discipline and commitment
and encourages team work. Some of her favorite things about
teaching in the Ladue School District include the appreciation
for creative teaching and the opportunity to work with many
students of different backgrounds and varied experiences.
Jo Anne Smiley was
influenced by her mother,
a music teacher, who
taught her piano until
college. She was inspired
to become a teacher at
age five, when she began
“teaching” her brother.
She spent 30 years
directing choruses and
teaching piano and voice
at Spoede Elementary
School, the former West Junior High School and Ladue Horton
Watkins High School. Jo Anne believes that music impacts
lives through teaching important lessons, but also injects
beauty into life and feeds the soul.
Some of her favorite places to hear music locally are the St.
Louis Symphony, Bach Choral Society and St. Charles
Ambassadors. Some of her favorite memories of her Ladue
Schools teaching career include performing in Paris, at
Westminster Abbey in London and at the Juilliard School of
Music. Jo Anne believes that parent support is paramount to
student success in all educational experiences.
Jim Waechter’s early
music influences were his
high school and college
band directors, as well as
his clarinet teacher. He
knew he wanted to be a
teacher while in college;
he wanted to do what his
band leader was doing.
Jim believes that it is the
school’s job to teach all
students to make them
well-rounded individuals. School music programs provide
opportunities for students to belong to a community and
identify with their school, as well as give them a sense of
pride.
His 24-year career in the Ladue School District was at both the
middle school and high school, as Director of Bands,
Department Chair and Music Facilitator. Some favorite
memories were rehearsal sessions, convention performances
for the Missouri Music Educators Association, and band trips.
Jim enjoys the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and its
principal trumpet and clarinet players, the music of Frank
Sinatra, and the band at his alma mater, the University of
Illinois.
The LEF is honored to be welcoming these beloved educators
at Rhythm & Hues on April 8. Contributions made in their
names will help advance the excellence of the Ladue School
District. You can be a part of this tribute by making a
donation in their names and by sending in pictures and
memories you have of them.
Email your messages and photos to [email protected] so
that we can include them in a special scrapbook or at the
presentation honoring them at Rhythm and Hues on April 8.
Amazon Smile Donates
Shop at Amazon?Just log in at
www.smile.amazon.com and choose the Ladue
Education Foundation as your charity, and a portion of your
purchase will go to the LEF! For more information see
smile.amazon.com/about and learn how easy it is to make a
contribution to the great educational opportunities our
students get in the Ladue School District.
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