Long-time Falls Church City Public Schools’ music instructor Mary Jo West, in being recognized with a reception and proclamation at last week’s School Board meeting, was presented with the honor of having the music classroom at Meridian High School named for her. 

West delivered remarks at the meeting, which are as follows: 

“It’s just so hardwarming to see all these amazing people that I’ve been with for almost 30 years here. And the students, it’s really, it’s really, um, overwhelming to have a room, um, dedicated to my name. I never imagined that might happen, and it’s rather overwhelming, but it’s in a very beautiful way.

“But I want to say this really clearly. Nothing meaningful has ever been created by one person. These people here tonight are integral and the ones that couldn’t make it or weren’t able to come or didn’t know about it, are a part of the legacy of the entire visual and performing arts department.

“The room seems to carry my name now, but the story belongs to all of us. And, uh, um, I wanna make sure that I have a little bit of time to talk about the program for some of you who haven’t been around for almost 30 years. I was hired by Bob Snee in 1997. If you remember Bob Snee, great sense of humor.

“I’m thrilled he saw something in me. Even if he managed to use his red pen and rewrite every memo I almost sent out, if you know Bob, that was so much like him. He was just a great guy. And from the start, I had these amazing VPA colleagues. Many of them are here tonight. They’re my, some of them are my very best friends.

“We’ve gone through so much time together, seen so many changes in the school system. It’s changed a lot in 30 years. For example, my friend Sean here, we’ve done musicals together with Pam Spicer for 28 years. John’s here, Mark’s here, Sarah’s here. All these amazing colleagues of mine that have been, we’ve been through every, we’ve been through a lot together and, um, we couldn’t be more grateful.

“So 28 years ago was my first concert here. I taught at what was Thomas Jefferson. I taught at the middle school and I taught at the high school. There were only two music teachers at that time. It was me and the amazing Marie Harbison. We were teaching absolutely everything that had to do with music.

“There was no choir back then. I sometimes joke that our department was held together by a lot of coffee, a lot of adrenaline, lots of cortisol, and the amazing kindness of Marie who helped me so much through those beginning years. 

“The high school band had 25 kids. Nina is just so characteristic of the amazing great kids I’ve had. What an honor, what a privilege. They played grade two or three music. It was one of the pivotal moments for me as a young teacher, when I had a flute player look at me and say, when I just started, gosh, I just wish we could be good.

“That really lit a fire. The kids and I leveled up. We rehearsed harder, we rehearsed more often. We added rehearsals, and people like Nina, these students gave their heart. Like Chaz, there’s so many of them. I mean, I could go on for hours about them, but they give their heart, they give their determination.

“Some of them wrote down all my silly quips during rehearsals. Somehow through that chaos and through all the laughter, we began to grow and we began to get better and the parents were right there with me. That tiny program of me and Marie is now four full-time music teachers at the middle school and high school and two part-time at Thomas Jefferson.

“That kind of growth happens in the community that cares. That kind of growth happens when people support the arts. People didn’t give up on us, they just gave more: it was the kids, it was the school board, it was the superintendent, it was the amazing principals. I had an amazing staff. All of us.

“All of us did this together. I want to speak truly to the soul of this program. That’s been my mu       sic parents. When I had all those classes and my load was so heavy, they lifted it. I had more classes than seemed humanly possible, but the para-professional that I had was usually a band parent. I’m thinking of people like, for those of you who remember Larry Allen, for those of you who remember Steve Schmidt, these were people who were music parents that helped me during the day.

“Then at night they ran the band booster lesson program and they served as treasurers. I mean, they gave so much to this program and. The treasurers stay like some, like, like Nicole Ang, like Laura Nicholson, we managed hundreds of checks. It wasn’t online. Everything was a check. Every fundraiser was a check, and we had to write all these checks and book all these events.

“When I asked them, they smiled and nodded and said they were happy to do that. I’m sure when I wasn’t looking, they probably went back and started pulling their hair out. But, it was amazing. We had over 70 kids play at Carnegie Hall and all of them could go because we had done enough fundraising and we had supported the kids to get them to Carnegie Hall.

“I’m also so thrilled tonight to have our new band director here, Mr. Chad Steffy. We’re so lucky to have him. He’s given so much already to our program. I know the helm of the MHS music ship couldn’t be in stronger hands, so thank you for being here, Chad. 

“I want to say a quick, heartfelt thank you to my amazing husband. A lot of you know him. He’s been around quite a bit and he’s given everything to support these musicians and to support me. They talked ab out driving equipment vans to Florida and Nashville, coming in and helping me with sectionals. He was my official sub and got Dr. Noonan, an official sub pass at one point.

“All of these things, whatever I asked, he always said, “How can I help?” His willingness to help has lifted the program in ways that we all felt. The kids, myself, the parents, the chaperones administration, and we are forever indebted. So F-C-C-P-S will have their name on a room In my heart, FCCPS.

“FCCPS has given me so many opportunities. I got to travel on a Fulbright to France. I got to take Aiden to Korea and, and do a sustainability conference in Say  Chung. I have grown as an educator and I have grown as a human being and I am eternally, eternally grateful for the generosity and the love this entire community has shown to me.

“So I am thrilled that the band boosters are creating the Falls Church Education Foundation Scholarship. I know that the MHS Band Room will continue with lots of laughter, lots of music and great kids. The band family, as we call it, will go on. This room will forever echo all the generosity of all of these people.

“Every note, every lesson, every life, touched by music, holds all of our fingerprints. Thank you for your efforts to support the program. Thank you to the amazing community. It’s been a truly grateful, humbling, loving ride. I am so appreciative. Thank you.”