A SMT News Report

A very special concert will be held Sunday, May 29 honoring retiring Dexter music educator MaryRuth Boone.

The concert will feature a choir of more than 140 alumni from Boone’s 30 years as choir director at Dexter High School. The alumni will gather during the weekend for a reunion and tribute to Boone. The concert will be at 4 p.m., at the First Baptist Church in Dexter. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

A reception will follow the concert honoring Boone and her family.

For nearly 30 years there has been friendship, fun times, achievements, and dedication within the Dexter High School Choirs. And now, as she prepares to step down and retire, MaryRuth Boone’s students have something they would like to say to the DHS choral music director: Thank you.

The Choir Reunion weekend is a time for former and current Dexter High School choir students to gather back together to pay tribute to their former choir director and to do that thing that she taught them – to sing!

DHS Choir alumnus Eric Mathis is spearheading this effort along with a committee of individuals in the community. According to Mathis, the weekend’s focus will bAlumni Choir concert – a large multi-generational chorus of Boone’s students.

“Given the decline of music and arts education programs in public schools systems across the country, Dexter is fortunate to have a music educator like Mrs. Boone who has maintained a choral program in the junior and senior high schools for 30 years,” Mathis said. “We need to celebrate this tradition. This is an event that no one will want to miss!”

Planning Committee member Mark Snider said the weekend is, of course, no longer a complete surprise for Boone.

“MaryRuth has asked that she be able to ‘relax and enjoy’ the weekend, so the musical leadership for this event is falling in the hands of the next generation,” Snider said. “Eric Mathis will be directing the mass choir during the concert, and Delisa Stites has agreed to accompany the choir on the piano. This is going to truly be a time for everyone to sit back and enjoy the musical tradition MaryRuth has established in our community.”

Mathis and the planning committee announced plans for the weekend prior to the Christmas holiday on Facebook, the Internet social networking site. A special website was created early this year. Alumni who have not registered or who want additional information may go to the event’s website at www.dexterchoir.com.

Community planning committee members include Mathis, Laveda Banken, Julie Lancaster. Melisa Mayo, Lisa Mathis, Annabeth Miller, Brandy Mouser, Toni Pyle, Patti Shell and Mark Snider.

Photo Above: A special concert honoring retiring Dexter choir teacher MaryRuth Boone will be held at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 29 at the Dexter First Baptist Church. Boone (left) chats with evening planning committee chair and DHS Choir alumnus Eric Mathis. (SMT photo by Annabeth Miller)