LF_021617

LakeForestLeader.com life & arts
the lake forest leader | February 16, 2017 | 15
D67 Talent Show helps teachers shine outside the classroom
Katie Copenhaver
Freelance Reporter
More than 30 teachers participated
in the District 67/Spirit of
67 Faculty Talent Show on Friday,
Feb. 10, at Deer Path Middle
School. Teachers sang, danced,
played music, and performed
improv and acrobatics, drawing
cheers and laughs from students
and parents and their colleagues.
“I think this is the most involvement
I’ve seen in one of
our faculty talent shows,” said
Deer Path East Principal Tom
Cardamone. “I couldn’t be happier
with the success of this
event.”
The show’s director and Deer
Path’s music teacher Jean Hersey
echoed him. “I’m thrilled with
the amount of participation. It is
a unifying experience.”
The most poignant moment
came in the introduction when
Hersey and chorus teacher Ben
Gray dedicated this year’s show
to Scott Bliler, a seventh- and
eighth-grade special education
teacher, who passed away a few
days earlier after a long illness.
They sang “Amazing Grace” as
a tribute.
The students gathered with
excitement to see their teachers,
many of whom do not teach performing
arts, in a different context.
Some of the highlights were
the opening instrumental of the
“Muppet Show” theme song by
the pit orchestra and the opening
song by the 21-person staff choir
of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the
Mirror.”
Other ensemble performances
included “Shakin’ it Through
the Ages,” a black-lit dance with
the teachers wearing glow-inthe-dark
clothing to a medley of
songs like “Twist and Shout” by
the Beatles to “Shake It Off” by
Taylor Swift.
The “Dr. Know-It-All” improv
troupe of five made three appearances,
answering audience
questions with absurd responses,
taking audience suggestions for
Barbara Falk (far right) accompanies music instructors Corey Ames
(center) and Ben Grey on piano as they play “Take Me Out to the
Ball Game” on clarinet during District 67/Spirit of 67 Faculty Talent
Show on Friday, Feb. 10, at the Deer Path Middle School. PHOTOS BY
CLAIRE ESKER/22ND CENTURY MEDIA
a story, and doing a human slide
show of a trip to Switzerland.
The most inclusive project
was the district video which
captured teachers, administrators,
and cafeteria, custodial and
grounds staff members dancing
in classrooms, hallways, offices
and dining areas. The video was
accompanied by Justin Timberlake’s
“Can’t Stop the Feeling”
from the movie, “Trolls.” One
comical part of the video was
Superintendent Michael Simeck
receiving dance lessons from a
more rhythmic staff member. At
the end was a still photo of Bliler
surrounded by a few colleagues,
captioned “always in our hearts.”
There were also several solo
or small group performances by
faculty members. Mark Mosias,
a fifth-grade math and science
teacher, sang “Proud of Your
Boy” from Disney’s “Aladdin.”
Mosias said he has talked to his
students about his singing background
as a participant in his
high school and college musicals,
plays and choirs, but he explains
to them that he can’t sing in class.
This finally gave them a chance
to hear him, for which they gave
him enthusiastic applause.
This is Mosias’ first year
teaching at Deer Path and
participating in the talent
show.
“It’s wonderful to have so
much community support,” Mosias
said.
Cardamone has a similar background
of performing since he
was in seventh grade in school
musicals and plays. He sang
“The Luckiest” by Ben Folds
to the piano accompaniment of
Lino Cisternino.
Hersey, a classically trained
opera singer, also had her moment
with “Why Do They Shut
Me Out of Heaven?” by Aaron
Copland. She sang opera professionally
for several years in
Europe before coming home to
the United States and beginning
a career as a music teacher. This
is her 20th year in the district,
where she has participated in
every one of these faculty shows
and has directed a couple previous
ones.
The talent show culminated
with “One Singular ‘Swimstation’
” featuring 12 staff members,
which blended the title song from
“A Chorus Line” and the traditional
song, “Soul Bossa Nova”
with synchronized “swimming”
using the school’s new projection
The Improv group Dr. Know-It-All imagines a fictional trip to
Switzerland.
Deer Path Middle School Music Teacher Jean Hersey performs
“Why Do They Shut Me Out of Heaven?” by Aaron Copland,
accompanied by Barbara Falk on piano.
equipment to simulate a pool behind
the performers.
Not to be overlooked was the
Deer Path Middle School Art
Expo in the lobby of paintings,
drawings and photography, all
by non-visual art faculty. The
participating teachers were Emily
Correa, Jeanne Engelkemeir,
Karen Flor, Ryan Foster, and Ingrid
Wiemer. Their work showed
students that visual art talent is
also worth celebrating.
These faculty talent shows
began in 2004 to raise funds for
the district’s Spirit of 67 Foundation,
and they generally take
place once every other year.
The foundation raises more
than $200,000 a year for several
programs. The biggest of those
are the Spirit Grants, which the
teachers apply for each January
to pay for a variety of things, including
visiting authors, educational
tools, multimedia equipment,
musical instruments, arts
programming and school trips.
The foundation supports the
Kreisher’s Kids Fund, which
subsidizes expenses for low income
children in the district, and
Dorothy Chantler Fund Grants,
for time-sensitive projects.