Your Nominations
Amanda Jolly
I can confidently say that Ms. Jolly is one of, if not the most influential teachers I have ever had the fortune of working with. Formerly co-director of all of the different district schools’ bands, she’s now the director of all of our choir programs, ON TOP OF having two kids and a family to take care of at home. I truly don’t know how she can find the time and mental space to take care of both her children at home, as well as her basically-children (*cough* the basses *cough*) at school.
Besides her career accomplishments in expertly leading different programs and excellent multitasking abilities, for realzies she’s just a kind and caring person. She goes out of her way to make you feel cared for and wanted, and while she may not run any city/state wide choirs, or be in charge of massive events, I truly cannot think of a single person who epitomizes the ideals of music and its teaching more than Amanda Jolly, nor anyone who could deserve this honor more than her. Love you Jolly :)
Scott Eversdyke
Mr. E is an incredible educator who has made such a difference in so many lives. He is there for his students not only as a choir director, but as a mentor. He has cultivated an incredible choral program for many years, and generally is one of the most kind and impressive people.
Mr. E has grown me and my fellow students in so many different ways over the past six years we have been learning from him. He not only is our choir director, but he is our at-school dad. He commands respect, but we all know he loves us very much and because of that we can be a very successful choir yet still have fun doing what we love! Last year I was getting bullied by some other students and I went to him for help. He gave me some good advice on how to deal with the situations and did everything he could on his end to protect me. Even to this day he calls me aside every once in a while to make sure I am okay and remind me that if something else ever happens he is still a safe place to go. Mr E. has formed us into an advance choir, but he also is another version of our fathers! (The picture is from our musical, White Christmas, this year so don’t mind the dress!)
He is a fantastic teacher, and is so encouraging. Students always have fun in his class, but we get work done too. We learn so much from him and he deserves to be recognized.
Amanda Hanzlik
Mrs. Hanzlik has always put the well being of her students above everything she does. She treats her students like her children and always tries to find opportunities for them.
John Deluce
My high school director from Plum senior high school was the only one who pushed me to pursue music. He helped me grow more confident, get better at sight reading and always push us to be better for the future. I’m currently in two ensembles (one that travels and a church choir ), and I can only thank John Deluce for always believing. A student that has him is truly blessed.
Scott Bracken-Tripp
Scott currently works at Northeast highschool where I previously attended. Before Dr Tripp, the choral program had gone through 2 “permanent” educators and 2 temporary over the course of three years. But when Dr Tripp arrived, he was a little hesitant towards the high schoolers given he came from a collegiate background but we couldn’t have been more stoked to have someone stay with us and support us and help us grow. He has turned the barren choral room into a source of life. He is genuinely amazing.
Phil Aguglia
Mr Aguglia is always goofing around and making band fun. We play amazing pieces and learn so much while enjoying ourselves. His room is always open if you have a study hall or if you wanna learn a completely new instrument.
Zack Smith
Although he isn’t a formal teacher, Zack Smith has changed the lives of students throughout the years. He has saved my love of music by introducing jazz into mine-and others lives. He has taught us that jazz isn’t just about swinging notes, or chords that give you a chill down your spine. It is about expression, finding who you are in those chords, or those swinging notes. He taught us to learn how to be confident and gave us the tools to succeed In music; and in life. He is a musician who reaches out into the community- who rises above and helps others. Mr. Smith is someone everyone should look to as a musician, teacher, and advisor. He is the reason I listen to music, and he is the way hundreds of kids have found passion in music, and I for one, am forever grateful.
Jim Aich
Mr Aich is more than your regular teacher. He’s a teacher that cares. He teaches my choir class and honestly if it wasn’t for that time of the day I wouldn’t feel happy about going to school everyday. Mr Aich is a genuinely amazing teacher and I believe he deserves this.
Mr. Aich puts his heart and soul into teaching music to his choir kids. He has unique practices that I’ve not seen any other choir directors utilize, for example, every student is taught what the note A is without a source to listen too. They sing a capella this way. He encourages and inspires his students to follow their dreams. He is always available to help out when needed. He takes after school hours to cater to student needs with a smile. Mr. Aich has been teaching for many years now and still has a passion for his students and music.
Mr. Aich is sich an amazing person he puts his entire heart and soul into teaching. He has helped me through so many tough times and makes me feel appreciated and needed EVERY single day. If there was just one word to describe him it would be extraordinary!
I nominate Mr. Aich because in my past 2 years of choir he has taught me to sing the right notes to sing and has taught me sight reading and I’m so glad that I have Mr. Aich as my teacher so I decided to nominate him and I will always cherish the moments I have with him through out highschool and the rest of this year in middle school
A good teacher is hard to find, but when you find one you feel lucky. I felt lucky when I walked into my first day of middle school choir a few years ago. Mr. Aich is the type of teacher who is also your best friend, he wants what is best. He doesn’t make choir feel like a class, he makes it feel like a family. Mr. Aich has always tried his best to improve his multiple choirs to their fullest potential, including each individual person. That means trying new things and sacrifices. Mr. Aich deserves the best teacher award.
I’ve been in choir now with him as the director for 3 years now and choir is always the part of the day I look forward too. Mr Aich is my favorite teacher and music is so important to me, and he has really helped me succeed in everything music. Even though I’m not going into college for music, I’m still grateful to be a part of our choir family, and hope to never forget the times with them and Mr. Aich.
Mr. Aich has made choir such a fun experience for my middle and high school career. He has been an amazing mentor and has inspired me to go into music education as a career.
He is amazing
Erin Parrott
I don’t know how to explain Mrs. Parrott in 1000 characters or less but I’m going to do my best. Mrs Parrott is one of the most amazing people I have ever met in my life. She is everything a good teacher is compassionate, funny, doesn’t take funny business and everything else. She has helped me and supported me more than any other adult figure in my life. She taught me how to love myself and how to love the people around me but also taught me to stand up for myself and not let people walk all over me. She has created one of the safest environments for our high school and makes it so that instead of waking up everyday dreading school I was excited to go back to my safe place with my safe people. I love Mrs Parrott and she deserves to be the teacher of all of existence not even just the week!
Mrs. Parrott has been such an amazing, hard working, and inspiring teacher for me for the last three years. She has been fighting through every challenge and roadblock that has been thrown at her and I admire her infinitely for that. She makes me feel like I can be a successful musician by putting in effort and passion in what I do. She has given me, and hundreds of other students, a place where I feel completely relaxed to just exist, learn, and grow as a musician and as a person. I can’t imagine high school or choir without her laugh and vibrant energy. Someday, when I become a choir teacher, I hope to be as loving and magical her. I love you Parrott!!
Mrs. Parrott is an absolutely fantastic teacher and an even more amazing person. I will forever be grateful of how accepting and loving she is and how willing she is to welcome students from all walks of life into her classroom. The environment shes created is such a safe space and home away from home for many of us and it’s so nice to be able to walk into her classroom and feel completely at ease. I will always look up to the lengths she goes to, to make her students feel loved. Whether it’s simply checking in with us, writing letters of recommendations, keeping period products stocked or sharing funny stories, she let’s us know that she cares about us.
I can’t believe I’m graduating this year, I will always regret that year I wasn’t in choir, but I will forever be grateful for the years that I was. When I look back on high school I will always talk about her class fondly and moving forward in my life I will always strive to be like her, empathetic, hardworking and passionate
Mrs. Parrott is the most amazing choir teacher I’ve ever had. She’s so accepting and loving of every deserving student that comes her way. She’s funny and kind, always cracking jokes with us and making sure we’re doing okay. We all call her Mom and she fits the role to a T. When we’re having a rough time (and when I say ‘we’ I mean all her students and I) she’s always there to help us and talk to us, giving us advice and love. I’ve had Parrott as a teacher since I was in seventh grade, I’m a senior in high school now and I firmly believe I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for her influence. When I was a freshman, it was hard to find a place to fit in but she and the choir welcomed me in with open arms and from that point on, I had a home away from home. I’ll be graduating this year, and unfortunately, that means leaving and not coming back, but I’ll always have the influence of my favorite teacher, like “a handprint on my heart.” ❤️
She is a kind teacher whose class environment makes me feel safe. She cares deeply about her students and teaches us to set us up for success.
Mrs. Parrott is one of the best teachers. She is there when you need her, she is funny, and she knows how to make teaching fun.
She’s an amazing teacher who deserves the world.
Joshua Viles
While I’m not in high school anymore, Mr. Viles was my source of joy and happiness. Through our love of singing, we had a zero period before school even started where a group of singers would get together in the morning just for the joy of singing despite how ungodly early it was. Every chance I got to spend in that room with Mr. Viles was worth every second. He makes every student feel special and important and really makes us feel like our voices matter. His saying was always “everyone can sing.” He really is the reason I decided to continue onto college and join a choir. He is the reason that I am still singing. Thank you Mr. Viles.
Chad Pittman
Mr Pittman is a wonderful teacher and has inspired me and my classmates to come out of our shells this year and open up to a sound we did not know we could create! He has given our choirs a new light and sense of happiness with our music and greater relationships and understanding of each other. The choir room has become a safe space for multiple students and on hard days I always know I can count on Mr Pittman to talk to me and push me to get through the rest of the day. We are all very grateful he is here and he deserves the world for everything he has done for our choral departments in such a short time!
Meg Byrne
An astounding educator and vocalist, Mrs. Meg Byrne has worked tirelessly for over 20 years to build Pleasant Valley High School’s choir department from a single ensemble of singers to a program consisting of over 200 students in 4 curricular choirs, with extracurricular opportunities in three different jazz choirs. She has taught students of all backgrounds with varying futures – Samantha Pauly, Kathrine Howard in SIX on Broadway, is a former student of hers and fondly recalls her time under Byrne’s excellent direction. Byrne directs Chamber Choir, the premier curricular vocal ensemble at PVHS, performing music by Reena Esmail, Eric Whitacre, and Feliz Mendelssohn, to highlight. She also directs the Pleasant Valley Leading Tones, the only Iowa fully acapella jazz choir at a high school level, which regularly competes at Iowa’s State Jazz Championship among other 4a schools. She truly is a talented and hard-working figure, deserving of this recognition.
John Sikon
I am a junior in highschool at Byron Nelson and am grateful to have Mr. Sikon as my teacher. He is such an honorable, talented, and determined person. We are so blessed to have him as our teacher. Being in his program teaches us professionalism, hard work, and everyday skills. Our choir program would not be the same without him in which he takes mediocre experienced children and makes them award winning choirs with the involvement of his knowledge and love for music. We would love to celebrate him for his accomplishments and love. Thank you.
Kevin Wong
As a HS choir student who’s now a senior, I saw firsthand how our program changed due to the pandemic. It was a massive change for singing together and was a fearsome hurdle at first. Furthermore, our old choir teacher, the absolutely amazing Mrs. Marci Taylor, retired the year that the pandemic hit, throwing some of us into an unfamiliar singing environment. The space you sing in and the people you interact with are absolutely essential to a good choir, not just the technique of the performer, and I learned this under Mr. Wong, because he brought us together when the program could easily have fallen apart. Choir is a safe space for many of us and he, a new teacher at our school, dove headfirst into advocating for an excellent choral experience for every student. As much as we like to reminisce about our early choir years pre-pandemic, it’s an indisputable fact that we are where we are today because of Mr. Wong’s incredible efforts to bring us together and secure that space we cherish.
Brenda Scott
I am nominating Mrs. Brenda Scott because she has truly changed my life. She had been my director since 6th grade and because of her I am now studying music in college. She has taught at St. Johns Country Day School for 30 years and recently announced her retirement. Over the years she has taken her students all over the world to perform. Many people fondly remember the Germany trips the school does every 2 years with the choir. She also started taking students to NYC to be in workshops with professional musicians and actors. She’s also had the honor of taking her high school choir to sing in The White House on 2 seperate occasions. I can’t think of a better way to honor her legacy than to Nominate her For Teacher of the Week.
Megan Schuitema
Megan Schuitema has changed my life through her passion and contribution to the program she runs. As a HS director, she gets new and fresh students all the time. She takes them under her wing and acts as a guiding light through the changes and hardships we face. Mrs. Schuitema allows us to have an outlet in her class where we can put our thoughts and emotions into the music we sing. She’s a wonderful and encouraging director, but she is an even better mentor and friend. Her office door is always open for questions, long talks, and silly encounters. The program that she runs is accepting and nourishing (and is still growing)! She encompasses what it means to connect through music. She provided a place for me (and others) to heal and flourish. Without her, I would’ve never thought to try and become a music major. Now I am studying to be a music therapist because I want to be able to make an impact through music. I am grateful for the impact she has made on myself and others.
Dr. Sara Harris- Baker
Dr. Baker was a professor of mine in undergrad. I was never in choir, but she mentored me as one of the only female staff at my small college. She built a program from the ground up and made it possible for so many students to get their degrees. She is a wife and mother herself, but always dedicated her time to her students. I remember crying in her office a few times, only to leave with a feeling of accomplishment and wanting to be like her someday for my students. She is a shining example of a world class educator and succeeded in changing not only my life but those of countless others from an area in the world that would otherwise leave them hopless in finding an outlet for music. She is my hero.
Eddie Adams
Mr. Adams is a tireless, selfless leader who both ensures his students have success with challenging literature as well as learn to love, respect, and critique each other. It is rare to find an ensemble where the students can offer high level, musical feedback to their fellow ensemble members and see that feedback applied. He has inspired countless students to pursue their dreams, sometime musical and other times not. While we are fortunate to have him at Millbrook, he has also served in State Level Leadership Roles and been State Choral Teacher of the Year.
Amy Kimbler
My chorus teacher is as caring as they come. Whether you need help with your solo coming up, or learning a new piece, or just a shoulder to cry on, she will be there for you. Amy Kimbler loves what she does enough to take the time to get to know each and every one of her hundreds of students. She even writes everyone notes to let them know how much they mean to her. Among all the hardships we’ve been through this past year, the world could use more people like Amy Kimbler.
Mike Mccullough
He has an amazing gift that he has shared with high school students for 30 years. He teaches choral music at the high school he graduated from. He sets high expectations and takes students who have never sung and turns them into singers! He builds individual relationships with his students at and their families. He has taken groups all over the world! He has a heart for people’s stories and finding the music to go with them. He has made a difference in thousands of lives
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