Lawrence Fisher

Lawrence Fisher has taught at Bolingbrook High School since 2006.  He directs four curricular choirs and has taught piano class and AP Music Theory.    Mr. Fisher grew up in Kentucky being heavily involved in music for most of his life.  After high school graduation, he continued his studies at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana.  There he studied music education under Henry Leck and Eric Stark.  Upon graduation he moved to Massachusetts and completed his Master’s Degree in Choral Conducting with E. Wayne Abercrombie at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  While at UMass he conducted the Women’s Choir and Madrigal Singers.  His first full-time teaching position was in the inner-city of Springfield, MA where he was the choir and general music teacher at an 800 student elementary.  He then returned to the Midwest where he taught at Proviso Township Schools and School District #54 in Schaumberg before coming to Bolingbrook.  Mr. Fisher has also studied at the Kodaly Institute in Kecskemet, Hungary where he focused on the Kodaly technique.  He is an advocate of sight-reading in choral rehearsals.  He has also been a festival conductor and adjudicator for several festivals in New England and Illinois.

Robert Hanerhoff

Mr. Robert Hanerhoff teaches Jazz Band 1, Jazz Band 2, Jazz Band 3, Concert Winds, Acoustic Guitar, and the Marching Raiders at Bolingbrook High School. Mr. Hanerhoff has been on faculty at BHS since 2007. Prior to teaching at BHS, Mr. Hanerhoff taught elementary and middle school at Roosevelt Magnet School in Peoria, IL. There, he taught K-2 general music, 6th and 7th grade band, and jazz band. Mr. Hanerhoff earned his Bachelor's Degree in Music Education from Western Illinois University in 2005 and his Masters in Education Leadership, type 75 from Argosy University in 2013. Mr. Hanerhoff has been a guest clinician at ILMEA District IX Senior Division Jazz Festival and has adjudicated a number of solo contests, audition days, and IHSA Organizational Contest. He also teaches private trumpet and guitar lessons, and performs regularly as a member of the Chicago Brass Band. Mr. Hanerhoff is a member of National Association for Music Education, Illinois Music Educators Association, Jazz Education Network, National Band Association, and the North American Brass Band Association. Mr. Hanerhoff lives in Bolingbrook with his wife, Sheila, and their son, Matteo.

Aimee Rupsis

Aimee Rupsis is the Bolingbrook High School Music Department Chairperson.  She is an EAYA National Board Certified teacher and has taught at Bolingbrook High School since 2002. She directs Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, Concert Band 2, Pep Band and assists the Marching Program and spring musical. She also teaches AP Music Theory.  She has lead curriculum development and community outreach projects including the creation of C.H.I.M.E., which provides band instruments to under-resourced students in the Valley View School District. Ms. Rupsis grew up in Bolingbrook and is a product of the school system within which she currently teaches. She attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana from 1997-2001 earning a Bachelors in Music Education.  In 2008 she earned her Masters in Education with a Major in Educational Leadership and holds a Type 75 Administrative Certificate from Lewis University in Romeoville, Il.  She currently performs with the Naperville Municipal Band and resides in Bolingbrook with her family.

LAURETTA STERNER

Lauretta Sterner teaches Bella Voce, Sunrise Singers, Shine, piano and guitar at Bolingbrook High School. She has always had a deep passion for music and is an accomplished vocalist and instrumentalist. Ms. Sterner graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and as valedictorian from Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts in 2015. There, she studied under Dr. Cheryl Frazes-Hill, the choral director of the Chicago and Milwaukee Symphony Choruses. She went on to pursue her Master’s Degree of Music Education at Vandercook College of Music where she harbored her passions for choir and special education to author her thesis, “Establishing an Inclusive Choir in Your Community.” Ms. Sterner has taught chorus, band, general music, and musical theater at Franklin Fine Arts Center in Chicago and Butler School District 53 in Oak Brook. Along with her teaching experience, Ms. Sterner sings professionally outside of school. Her most memorable performance experiences have been performing with the Grant Park Chorus and singing backup vocals for the Rolling Stones for their 50 and Counting Anniversary Tour in Chicago. She has served as an audition judge for the Illinois Music Educators Association High School Choral Auditions and enjoys helping students of all abilities discover music in their own unique way.

Email: bonnerbakerla@vvsd.org

Laurie Bonner-Baker

My name is Laurie Bonner-Baker and I am very excited to be joining the Valley View School District community as a music teacher. I have earned both a bachelor's (University of Illinois) and master's degree (Northwestern) in music education and I have been teaching music in schools in Illinois, Oregon, China, Malaysia, and Thailand for the past 14 years. Throughout my career so far, I have taught music at every grade level, from preschool through to high school band. When I'm not teaching, I'm an active performer as a woodwind specialist. I have played in and conducted a number of pit orchestras, as well as played saxophone (bari sax is my favorite) and clarinet in some jazz, concert, and funk bands. You can also find me on the dance floor, dancing Lindy Hop, Collegiate Shag, and Balboa. In my free time, I love to spend time with my husband and my almost three year old daughter. I'm thrilled to be joining the BHS music team and I can't wait to meet all the members of the BHS music family.