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Ms. Caroline Aroune, Chorus & General Music Teacher
Sherman Elementary School
Ms. Aroune received her Bachelor's in Music Education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam with a vocal concentration. This is her first year at Rush-Henrietta! She teaches general music and chorus 4-6 at Sherman Elementary, and is honored to be a part of an amazing and diverse school district with a strong music program. Outside of school, Ms. Aroune can be found at local coffee shops sipping coffee and reading a good book. She also enjoys staying active, cooking and spending time with friends and family!
Ms. Gretchen Foster, Chorus & General Music Teacher
Vollmer Elementary School
Ms. Foster received her Bachelor's in Music Education with a vocal and piano concentration from Nazareth University and a Master's in Music Education with an emphasis on teaching students with exceptionalities from University of South Florida. She has taught general music and chorus for 17 years in New York and Florida. She also taught internationally in Dubai, UAE, and Kyiv, Ukraine. Ms. Foster teaches general music and directs the sixth-grade chorus at Vollmer Elementary. She is also the vocal director for the Burger Junior High School musical and director of the Vollmer sixth-grade musical. Outside of school, Ms. Foster can be found reading, making music and spending time with her partner and three furbabies. She also enjoys live music and supporting local musicians. Ms. Foster loves traveling and visiting friends and family in new places!
Mrs. Emily Klempka, Chorus & General Music Teacher
Burger Junior High School
Mrs. Klempka received her Bachelor's in Music Education with a vocal and piano concentration from Nazareth University and a Master's in Musicology from the University at Buffalo. She has taught general music and chorus for 15 years in upstate New York including Buffalo, Rochester, and the Finger Lakes. This is her sixth year at Burger Junior High School. She has sung with Harmonia Singers in Buffalo, First Inversion in Rochester, and the Ignatian Schola in New York City. She keeps a small in-house piano studio running. as well. When she isn’t teaching music, she also coaches and plays tennis competitively in the Rochester area. She lives in Farmington with her husband, Ben, and her two children, Blake and Gregory (who all love music too!).
Ms. Allison Dains Smith, Chorus & General Music Teacher
Burger Junior High School
Mrs. Dains Smith is in her 17th year of teaching at Burger Junior High School. She has enjoyed teaching Chorus and various music courses, and has been involved in musical productions at Burger. She also taught Mixed Chorus and Treble Chorus at the high school for three years. Mrs. Dains Smith holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, and a Master of Music in Music Education from the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. Her primary instrument in college was piano. She also sang in multiple collegiate choral ensembles. Outside of teaching, Mrs. Dains Smith loves being with her family - husband Andy (who is a band teacher at Greece Athena Middle School); children, Amelia and Asher; and their dog Finn.
Mrs. Pam Quinlan, Chorus & General Music Teacher
Roth Junior High School
Mrs. Quinlan received her Bachelor's in Music Education and Performance on the oboe from Ithaca College and a Master's in Music Performance from Northwestern University. She has taught general music and chorus for 19 years at Roth, and band/general music for 12 years in Illinois before that. Pam plays oboe with the Genesee Symphony Orchestra and the Music Educators Wind Ensemble, as well as some Pit Orchestra gigs. She enjoys teaching private lessons at home on the weekends, and has undertaken the musical director role at Roth this year. When she isn’t teaching or playing music, she is hanging with her husband, Scott, and her dog, Grant and checking in with her adult kids, Haley and Sean.
Mr. Jamie Kazacos, Chorus & General Music Teacher
Roth Junior High School
Mr. Kazacos holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with an emphasis on Choral Studies from San Jose State University and a Master’s degree in Integrating Technology in Education. A proud graduate of Rush-Henrietta, he is celebrating his 25th year teaching in the district. In addition to directing Dedicated Voices, the select chorus at Roth, he serves as the music director for Roth’s musicals and assists with lighting and sound for the school’s drama productions. Outside of teaching, Mr. Kazacos enjoys spending time with his wife, who also teaches at Roth, their two children, who attend Pittsford Mendon High School, and their dogs, Libby and Maisy. In his free time, he loves playing guitar and attending live music shows, especially Americana, folk rock, and contemporary bluegrass.
Mr. John Polvino, Chorus Teacher
Senior High School
Mr. Polvino is a graduate of Nazareth College of Rochester and holds a Bachelor of Music degree with a concentration in Vocal Music Education. While at Nazareth, Mr. Polvino was Assistant Conductor of the Nazareth College Chamber Singers and completed his student teaching experience in the Rush-Henrietta Central School District. Mr. Polvino holds a Master of Science in Education from St. John Fisher College. Outside the classroom, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Lisa, and two wonderful children, Julia and Joey.
Ms. Brynn Shewan, Accompanist
Senior High School
Ms. Shewan is a pianist, accompanist, and educator. She is a graduate of Roberts Wesleyan University, where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance. Brynn was awarded the 2012-2013 Presser Scholar Award by the Roberts Wesleyan University Music faculty. It is the highest academic and performance achievement for a music student. She serves as the full-time accompanist at Rush-Henrietta Senior High School. Brynn has had the opportunity to perform with the Rush-Henrietta Singers abroad in England, as well as domestically in Boston, New York City, Washington D.C., and at Walt Disney World. She has been an accompanist for numerous NYSSMA Area All-State performances in Rochester, including most recently the 2023 NYSSMA Senior High Treble Chorus. Ms. Shewan also teaches private piano lessons from her home studio and adjudicates piano competitions in the greater Rochester area. She lives in Henrietta with her husband, David.
Mr. Allen Walck, Accompanist
Burger Junior High SchoolMr. Walck has been a part of the Rush-Henrietta music department since 1998, first as a substitute teacher, then as the accompanist at Burger Junior High School since 2003. On the weekends, he serves as church organist at two congregations: St. Agnes Roman Catholic in Avon on Saturdays and the Avon United Methodist Church on Sundays. He has been involved in church music ministry since the age of 12. He holds a BA in English (magna cum laude) from SUNY Geneseo, and holds a NYS teaching certificate (7-12). He has a Master's in Education from Niagara University, and completed further work at Roberts Wesleyan University. He attained the certificate of Colleague of the American Guild of Organists after rigorous examination in 2000. He enjoys a wide variety of interests, including horseback riding, running, cooking, and the textile arts.
Mr. Sam Ronan, Accompanist
Roth Junior High School & Sherman ElementaryMr. Ronan is a pianist with an affinity for jazz composition and record production. He is the current accompanist for Roth Junior High and Sherman Elementary. He graduated from Syracuse University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Music in Sound Recording Technology. As a student he performed extensively with SU's jazz ensembles, including at Carnegie Hall in 2022. Sam enjoys hiking, thrifting, running, and weightlifting in his free time. He has been with the Rush-Henrietta Central School District since fall of 2023.
