Choir teacher Abbe Lane, who worked under choir teacher Lisa Utecht last year, has taken over the full time position this year following Utecht’s retirement.
“I am very nervous to be taking on this role on my own,” Lane said. “I didn’t realize how much Mrs. Utecht did until I had to start doing it all by myself. While I am nervous to teach in this capacity with all of the extracurriculars that come with it, my students and colleagues are incredibly supportive. Even my students’ parents are willing to help out as much as they can!”
Even before she took the position in Berlin, Lane knew that she wanted to be a teacher, despite thinking that she would be an English or theatre teacher at first.
“I had no intention of studying music at all,” Lane said. “That was until I auditioned for my college’s chamber choir and the director told me something I was never told before: that I was very musically talented. I took that as a sign and declared my major as music education with an emphasis in choral music that very semester.”
Lane worked at BHS and BMS during spring of last year with Utecht helping her. During that time, she grew to know the rest of the music department, including her mentor band director Ben Ruetten. He says his first impressions of Lane were very positive.
“I was really impressed right away,” Ruetten said. “She has lots of enthusiasm. It’s one of those things where when you have new teachers, you kind of worry, you wonder if they had a good experience student teaching, or if they have good training. It’s one of those things where when they get to a certain point they’re ready, and she came in and she was obviously ready to be able to handle stuff.”
Ruetten is not the only person that was impressed with Lane when she began working; students have also grown to appreciate her skills.
“She’s very organized,” sophomore Kahlia Reighslegher said. “She is very nice with all of the kids, she knows how to use their ideas, and she knows what she’s doing. I think with the musical so far she’s doing really good. I definitely trust what she has planned.”
