Teacher To Retire After 35 Years With Warwick

Deb Kline-Smith, secondary music teacher with Warwick School District (WSD), will retire after 35 years with the district where she has taught students at all levels.

Looking back specifically on her work with musical productions, Kline-Smith recalled the dedicated parents she now calls good friends. "They were amazing when I had their children as students, but also all those years beyond," said Kline-Smith of parents who returned to work as costumers, set builders, and house managers long after their children had graduated.

Kline-Smith was born in Allentown, but her family moved to Hanover in York County when she was a child. In third grade, she took up clarinet, and she recalled her initial challenges with the instrument. "I squeaked a lot," said Kline-Smith, who learned from a music dealer that the reed she was using did not suit her instrument. Kline-Smith's band leader was not encouraging, but that did not stop her. "I was a determined person," said Kline-Smith. "I was going to play the clarinet." Her perseverance paid off, and she was later chosen to attend All-State Band to play the instrument. In high school, a choir director discovered that Kline-Smith could sing, and she asked her to join chorus. "That was a turning point," said Kline-Smith, " ... finding someone who believed in me." After that, Kline-Smith sang at shows and festivals, eventually becoming a voice major with a piano minor at Millersville University. After graduating from college, she became a long-term substitute teacher at South Western School District in Hanover and later music director at York Country Day School, where she taught choir, band, and orchestra for students of all ages. In 1987, she joined WSD, where in addition to teaching music, she has directed the Production Company, show choir, and spring musicals and worked with Tri-M Music Honor Society.

Involvement with Lancaster-Lebanon Music Educators Association (LLMEA) has been a large part of Kline-Smith's career and she is pleased with the response from students over the years. "We have had so much success," she recalled, noting that students have worked very hard to earn high praise. "There are very talented kids in every school, but you have to spend the time with them and they will want to do it."

Kline-Smith has also been involved with organizing groups of students to attend music festivals and exchanges where they could perform. She has worked with American Music Abroad and Voices United, and she has also taken WSD students to a variety of venues, including New York City; Palm Springs, Calif.; Disney World; and on cruises, all of which she called "wonderful cultural experiences." Kline-Smith specifically recalled taking students to America Sings! in Washington, D.C., in 1988. "At the end of the day, the 5,000 students got together and sang two choreographed songs right in front of the Washington Monument," she remembered.

Looking ahead to retirement, Kline-Smith said she plans to continue to teach private lessons and to travel. She's considering using her directing skills at local theaters, as well as volunteering. "I would like to do something that helps education," said Kline-Smith. "(Something) to keep music alive in the schools."