McGillivray named outstanding young music educator

Mary McGillivray, music educator at Ralph Witters Elementary (RWE) and high school drama director, was recently awarded the Outstanding Young Music Educator for the North Big Horn Basin.

Nominated by her colleagues, McGillivray has spent a lifetime in music and theatre, attending Casper College where she was deeply involved in the music and theatre departments before moving on to Black Hills State University where she received a Bachelors in Vocal Music Performance, a Bachelors in Music Education and a minor in Speech Communication. She also holds a Masters Degree from the University of Wyoming in Music Education.

Superintendent Dustin Hunt had this to say about McGillivray in his letter of recommendation for the award, "Miss 'M', as she is known in Ralph Witters Elementary, is an energetic teacher that creates great relationships with her students and the community, and is more than an advocate for music in our school systems.

"She is a champion for music education. She is very aware of music and performance standards, and teaches them to mastery as well as sharing them with parents. I think Ms. McGillivray is an excellent choice and would represent music education extremely well."

Kindergarten teacher and colleague, Bethany Webber said, "She enjoys children and brings a joy of music to their school experience. She creates relevant lesson plans that tap into student interest, and incorporates movement and other modalities into her music lessons.

"If you walk into a music lesson, students are moving and making music!"

Michael Jaycox, the music director in Greybull, was the gentleman who first recommended McGillivray for the award.

"Mary is a first rate teacher," Jaycox said in his recommendation letter. "She possesses a knack for making a unique connection with each student. This ability allows her to build strong, lasting relationships with her students, which helps her be an outstanding teacher."