Get to know one of this year’s Golden Apple recipients!
What is your job title and where do you work? I’m the Band and Orchestra Director at Linus Pauling Middle School.
Tell us a little about your family – if you’d like to! I’ve been married to Michael for almost 35 years – we met in band! We have two kids, Stephan (33) and Emily (30) who grew up and went to school here in Corvallis (Jefferson, Linus Pauling, and Corvallis High School). Finn is our Chesapeake Bay Retriever and he is the bestest boy ever. We have lived in Corvallis for the majority of our time, but we’ve also lived in Germany, Ireland, and Palm Springs, California.
What is one fun fact about you? I am a fan of blimps. So much so that this summer we are going to Germany to take a trip to ride in a Zeppelin over three countries and I can hardly contain myself.
What do you do in your spare time? I like to attend swim classes, kayak, play music, travel, play video games, visit with friends, play golf, go to concerts and take naps.
Tell us about your educational background. I attended Cal State Fullerton as a cello performance major and had a great time gigging all over Southern California. Later in life, I went back to school to study music education at Oregon State University where I earned both my Bachelor of Science and my Master of Arts in Teaching in Music Education.
Was becoming a teacher something you always planned on doing? No. Teaching was a surprise to me. I had always been a performer until I burnt out on the stress of auditions.
What does being a good teacher mean to you? Being a good teacher means making connections with students. Treating students as valued humans and remembering what I needed as a student when I was in their shoes. Meeting students where they are and giving them a place where they can be proud of themselves at school.
What is something you love about your job? My coworkers. My freedom to do the work that needs to be done to give the students the best experience possible.
What is one student interaction that has always stood out to you? Taking the orchestra to perform at Timberhill Assisted Living for one year. One of our violinists’ grandparents was a resident and was unable to attend any of our concerts, so we brought the concert to her. Our violinist MC’d the event, the students mingled with the residents afterward and it was an extremely rewarding experience.
What is something that you have implemented in the school since working there? I changed the names of the orchestras from Levels 2 and 3 to Premier and Chamber. I also started the Picnic Pops and Popsicle concert at Cheldelin and brought it over to Linus Pauling – it’s been a big hit! Just recently, I was able to start up the Mariachi program at Linus Pauling and hand it off to my incredible colleague Valerie Gollmann.
What did it feel like being surprised with the Golden Apple Award? Were you expecting it? It felt super weird, but also very nice to be recognized. No, I was not expecting it… you got me!
Is there anything else you would like to share? I am grateful to be recognized, but am fully aware that I could not do this without the incredible support of this educational community.