Category Archives: Education

Sherrill and Plunkett lead Arcadia High School Marching Band in Rose Parade appearance

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The Arcadia High School Apache Marching Band and Color Guard will march in the 2022 Tournament of Roses Parade, under the leadership of Directors Kevin Sherrill and Tom Plunkett. This is the 18th appearance in the group in the popular parade.

A number of superb high school marching bands will appear in the 133rd Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan. 1, 2022. One of these is the Arcadia High School Apache Marching Band and Color Guard, under the direction of two Directors. They are Kevin Sherrill and Tom Plunkett.

The amazing group of student musicians has been performing for audiences all over the country for more than 50 years. This will be their 18th appearance in the Rose Parade. In addition, the band appeared in the 2015 Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade, two Presidential Inaugural Parades, numerous NCAA football Bowl games, and a Super Bowl commercial.

The students were invited to march in the Rose Parade last year, but Covid-19 forced the cancellation of the event. This year, the band was invited back to perform, and last year’s seniors will be welcomed to join in the performance.

Kevin Sherrill has been a music educator at Arcadia for 21 years. He earned his degree at the University of Texas, Arlington. For his work in the classroom and on the field, Kevin was named a Rotary Teacher of the Year by the Arcadia Rotary Club.

Tom Plunkett has logged nearly 20 years as a music educator. Before his hire at Arcadia High School in 2020, he taught at Los Alamitos High School for eight years. There he led the Marching and Concert Band programs to numerous awards and consistently excellent performances. While teaching at Los Alamitos, he was named their District Outstanding Arts director in 2019.

 

Andy Sealy leads Hebron Marching Band in Rose Parade appearance

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Andy Sealy, Director of Bands at Hebron High School in Carrolltown, Texas, will lead his 350-member marching band in the 2022 Rose Parade. Photo credit: musicforallll.org

Students in the Hebron Marching Band in Carrolltown, Texas, are all excited for their upcoming appearance in the 133rd Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2022. The 350-member group has been well-prepared by Hebron Director of Bands Andy Sealy.

Through his leadership, Andy strives to achieve the highest standards of music education and music performance, facilitate the musical enrichment of the students, and promote the significant role music plays in the cultural, intellectual, and social development of young adults. “Being extraordinary is doing the little things in your job at an unbelievable level,” declares Andy.

Since it was established in 1999, the Hebron Band has become one of the most respected high school bands in the country. In  2021, the group garnered the Exemplary High School Band award by the Texas Bandmasters Association. The band also earned nine straight appearances in the UIL Texas State Marching Band Contest, where they earned four Silver Medalist finishes (2012, 2014, 2016, and 2020). In addition, the band was awarded the Sudler Shield in 2011, and in 2015 they were selected by the Texas Chapter of the American School Band Directors Association to receive the 2015 Outstanding Program Award.

Andy has been a music educator at Hebron for 19 years. He earned his degrees from Texas Tech University and inaugurated his teaching career as middle school band director and high school assistant director in Iraan, Texas. Later he was an Assistant Band Director and junior high Band Director in Monahans, Texas. Prior to coming to Hebron in the Lewisville Independent School District,  Andy served as Director of Bands at Monterey High School in Lubbock, Texas and at Randall High School in Amarillo, Texas.

In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Andy frequently serves as a clinician and adjudicator. He has professional affiliations with the American Bandmasters Association, the Texas Music Educators Association, the Texas Bandmasters Association, the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, and the International Clarinet Association. In addition, he is a past-President of the Texas Music Educators Association.  In 2016, Andy was awarded the University Scholastic League Sponsor of Excellence Award.

Minnesota teacher Coya Knutson served in US House of Reps

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English and music teacher Coya Knutson was the first woman from the state of Minnesota to be elected to the US House of Representatives. Photo credit: Concordia College.

Many excellent classroom teachers also succeed in the political arena. One of these was Coya Knutson, a music teacher from Minnesota who was elected to the US House of Representatives.

Coya was born Cornelia Gjesdal on Aug. 22, 1912, in a farming community in Edmore, Ramsey County, North Dakota. Her parents were immigrants from Norway. After her graduation from high school, she attended Concordia College in nearby Moorhead, Minnesota. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Education in 1934. Hoping to pursue a career in the opera, Coya attended the Juilliard School in New York City for one year. When her dream of a career in opera was not realized, she returned to Minnesota.

Once she returned to the North Star State, Coya married a farmer named Andy Knutson. The newlyweds settled on his farm near Oaklee and established a small local hotel. Coya taught English and music at high schools in the area and sang in local county fairs. In 1948, couple adopted a young boy they named Terry. Unfortunately, Andy was an alcoholic and prone to domestic violence. This led Coya to find reasons to stay out of the house.

In 1942, the young teacher heard a radio speech by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who urged women to become more politically involved. The call launched Coya into community activities and local politics. She became a field representative for the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, a program designed to aid the war effort, and she joined the county welfare board. When Coya was elected on the Democratic Farmer Labor Party (DFL) ticket to represent Minnesota’s 9th District, she was the first woman from the state to be elected to the US House of Representatives. There the former teacher served two terms, legislating from 1951 to 1959.

Shortly after she left Congress, Coya divorced her husband. She returned to Washington and accepted a position as a liaison officer in the Office of Civil Defense in the US Department of Defense. She was employed there until 1970.

Sadly, this trailblazing Chalkboard Champion passed away on Oct. 10, 1996, in Edina , Minnesota. She was 84 years old.

Susan Rosato named Vermont’s 2021 Teacher of the Year

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Susan Rosato, an English Language educator from Vermont, has been named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Linked In.

I enjoy sharing stories about exceptional educators who have earned accolades for their work in the classroom. One of these is Susan Rosato, an English Language educator from Vermont who has been named her state’s 2021 Teacher of the Year.

Susan currently teaches at Colchester High School in Colchester, Vermont, where she has been for 17 years. She began her career at the elementary level, teaching for five years at McMahon Elementary School in Holyoke, Massachusetts. In all, her career as an educator has spanned 22 years.

Within the educational community, Susan has a reputation for being a fierce advocate for immigrant and refugee families, and she has dedicated herself to smoothing their transition from their home countries to the United States. To this end, she has created and implemented a “newcomer” class in her school. She teaches the school’s English Learner (EL) course, and she instituted her school’s EL summer school program. In addition, she developed the district’s EL professional development course for her colleagues.

During the pandemic when students were completing lessons via distance learning, Susan stayed connected with families and provided support so they could maintain access to their children’s education, figure out how to sign up for unemployment benefits, and update their health information. She also created instructional and multilingual videos to provide information about the reopening of schools.

“What I can do and what we can all do to make students’ dreams a reality is we can start breaking down some of these barriers that refugee and immigrant students and other minority populations in our country and state face,” declares Susan. “I believe that our curriculum needs to be accessible and free of cultural bias. We need to start from the idea about what students can do, not what they can’t do,” she continues.

Susan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from the State University of New York at Cortland in 1991. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from the State University of New York at Albany in 1994.

To read more about Susan Rosato, see this article about her published by the St. Albans Messenger.

Former science teacher Alberto Carvalho becomes Supt. of LAUSD

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Alberto Carvalho, an immigrant from Portugal, began his career as an educator as a science teacher in Florida. He has just been hired to be the Superintendent of the LAUSD in California. Photo credit: fortwayne.com

Many excellent classroom teachers go on to positions of leadership and influence in their school districts. Alberto Carvalho is a fine example of this. Alberto inaugurated his career in education as a science teacher in Miami, Florida, rising to the position of Superintendent there. He has just been hired to be the Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District in California.

Because of his determination and hard work, Alberto was able to put himself through college. He enrolled in courses first at Broward Community College, and later he earned a scholarship to Barry University, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree.

Alberto inaugurated his career in education as a science teacher at Miami Jackson Senior High School in Miami-Dade County. He taught physics, chemistry, and calculus there. After four years in the classroom, Alberto served the District in several leadership positions, including Assistant Principal and Chief Communications Officer.

For the past 13 years, Alberto has served as the Superintendent for Miami-Dade County Public Schools. During his tenure there, he garnered local, state, national, and international recognition. He was named Florida’s 2014 Superintendent of the Year; the 2014 National Superintendent of the Year; the 2016 winner of the Harold W. McGraw Prize in Education; the 2018 National Urban Superintendent of the Year; the 2019 National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) Superintendent of the Year; and he garnered recognition by Scholastic Administrator as one of “The Fantastic Five” educators making a difference in America. Alberto currently serves on the National Assessment Governing Board, to which he was appointed by the US Secretary of Education. He also serves as a committee member for the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and as an Advisory Committee Member to the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance.

On Dec. 14, 2021, this Chalkboard Champion was hired to be the Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District in Los Angeles, California.