Group honors Vernon choir teacher
VERNON — Kevin Boehm, the choir director and teacher at Vernon Township High School, has been recognized by Veritas Prep as one of the 40 Most Influential Teachers Under 40.
According to Veritas, teaching is an honorable profession, but teachers aren’t honored nearly enough. In business, entertainment, and sports, it’s commonplace for publications to seek out 40 to watch under 40, highlighting young stars in their fields. Veritas Prep wanted to honor those young superstars who have chosen to use their talents to help students maximize their own.
Hundreds of teachers from across the United States were nominated by their own students, and from that group, 40 stood out as among the most passionate, innovative, and effective teachers in the country. With their talents and abilities, expertise and work ethic, these teachers could appear on any number of these lists, in Forbes or Fortune or BusinessWeek. That they’ve devoted those talents not to making money but instead to making a difference speaks volumes about their character and passion for education.
For Boehm, success is a by-product of passion.
“Everyone has a purpose and meaning to their lives on this Earth — a lifelong melody that they are meant to share with the world,” Boehm said.
For him, it is music. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Music, Music Education degree from West Chester University, Pa. An accomplished musician, he has earned recognition as both performer and educator. Following his lead, Boehm’s students have been selected to a number of honor choirs and participated in notable performances.
Boehm said he sees music as a gift that blesses the giver as much as the receiver. He feels fortunate to be able to live his passion and inspire his students.
“Sharing the gift of music to my students and opening their eyes to new pieces of music is a great blessing, and one that keeps me constantly trying to introduce new and exciting experiences for them,” he said.
His students are always striving to be better.
According to them, he has elevated their music to new levels that have allowed them to perform at Radio City Music Hall, the Grand Ole’ Opry, and Disney’s Epcot Park. Under his direction, he has successfully placed many students into prestigious vocal ensembles on the All-County, Regional, All-State, All Eastern, and National levels. At the young age of 26, Mr. Boehm has affected the lives of hundreds of students through our choir program.