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Fall 2003 - Northwestern College

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A l u m n ie w sN o r t h w e s t e r n C l a s s i cM i n ip ro f i l eAlum brings harmony to inner-city schoolby Amy Scheer“I chose Ms. B. becauses h e ’s hard on us . . . it’sbecause she loves us.”Hearing her music stude n t ’s words, BarbBurlingame ’99 knew that allthose tears shed her first yearof teaching were wort h w h i l e .Her student was one of manynominating her for the SuaveP e rf o rmance Plus Aw a rd ,given to Chicago teacherswho achieve excellence inand beyond the classro o m .F rom more than 350 applicants,Burlingame placed inthe top five finalists for hera rea, with just 30 total finalistschosen from six re g i o n s .At a formal ceremony indowntown Chicago in May,she received a plaque and$1,000.Not bad for a third - y e a rt e a c h e r.Burlingame spent thefall semester of 1999 studentteaching in a Chicago publicschool band program. Shei m p ressed the superv i s i n gBarb Burlingame gives a perc u s s i o nlesson in Chicago’s Hirsch High School.t e a c h e r, who swiftly re c o m-mended her for a position ina fine arts program form i n gat Hirsch Metropolitan HighSchool of Communications.H i r s c h ’s principal came too b s e rve and interv i e wBurlingame, and she off e re dher the job of band dire c t o ron the spot.The next school yearfound the Cameron, Wi s . ,native living and workingamidst gang activity andp o v e rty in an inner-city highschool without instru m e n t sfor her beginning band students.The school system hadno music feeder program, sof reshmen first encountere dmusic training inB u r l i n g a m e s ’ class.Accustomed to the practiceof starting instruments inf o u rth or fifth grade,Burlingame initially foundthat teaching theory, fingeringsand musicality all atonce was quite a challenge.After six months of “alot of stomping and clapping”that first year, thei n s t ruments finally arr i v e dand the students’ pro g re s ss o a red. To keep her youngmusicians motivated,Burlingame maintains highmusical standards. For example,she re q u i res that studentspass a test before theycan play in a concert. Herfirst year, just 20 were re a d yto perf o rm in public; twoyears later, the number wasup to 52.It thrills Burlingame towatch the growth of her“ b a b y,” as she calls it, thep rogram she’s nurt u red fort h ree years. This past yearsaw the first ever HirschHigh School musical, withBurlingame as musical dire c-tor and assistant to the staged i re c t o r. She’s starting up anew percussion ensemble,too, while not at all dauntedby the numbers—104 dru m-mers and five drums.Teaching in the innercity has its challenges,Burlingame says. “At times, itfeels like you’re teachingthem life skills—how to survive.”When she needs counsel,she seeks outN o rt h w e s t e rn s ’ Dr. Ti mM c G a rvey via e-mail, thankfulfor the opportunity to askquestions of her admired formermusic pro f e s s o r. NWC isunique in its caring atmosph e re and faculty-studentconnections, she says. “I can’timagine having gone anywh e re else.”Jeanne, owns and operates a preschool.They have a child, Peyton( 2 ) .Ruth Muyskens has been a medicalre c o rds clerk for nearly 10 years.Living in Burnsville, Minn., sheenjoys her hobby of colored pencilp a i n t i n g .’ 8 9B renda (Bru x v o o rt) Latz is beginningher 11th year as a full-time schoolsocial worker for the Zion, Ill.,E l e m e n t a ry School District. Shelives in Beach Park with her husband,David, and stepson, Brian.’ 9 1D r. Billy Estes is an orthopaedic surgeonwith a practice in Sioux <strong>Fall</strong>s.He also provides services in OrangeCity and Sioux Center. His wife,Janna (Kluis ’94), is a stay-at-homem o m .Michaela (Rabenberg) Zimmerm a nhas been promoted to activity coordinatorin the Alzheimer’s unit atPrairie Lodge in Brooklyn Center,Minn. Her husband, Tom, worksfor Cargill. They have three boys:Ti m o t h y, William and Daniel.’ 9 2Leslie Rider, F i rc rest, Wash., hasbeen in full-time ministry for sevenyears. She re p o rts that her workwith high school students hasblessed her beyond words. She alsoenjoys theology (in which shee a rned a master’s degree), upgradingher home and playing softball.Tammy (Mulder) Sieck and her husband,Randy, live in Ireton, Iowa.Randy is a self-employed tru c kd r i v e r, and Tammy is a stay-athomemom.Arlin To p teaches physical educationand coaches at Manson Nort h w e s tWebster Community School. Hiswife, Lora (Bandstra ’94), teachesbusiness in the Fort DodgeCommunity School District. TheTops live in Manson.2 6 ▲ F a l l 2 0 0 3

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