When Mary Strickland was a little girl, she loved music. Yet, shy with a bit of stage fright, she couldn't bear to perform in front of an audience. That's when a teacher left her stunned with such a small bit of advice.
"I had grown up very afraid to perform. It wasn't until I had this teacher that said, 'You understand how to make the music. Now just do it,'" Mary told WCCO's Tom Aviles. It was that music teacher who would inspire Mary to meet with the Annunciation Catholic School principal in 1973. The principal told Mary that the school needed someone "different." Mary was exactly what the doctor ordered.
Over four decades later, watch as the students praise Mary's teaching, heart, and compassion. Those who walk into Mary's classroom do not leave the same, as she teaches students to overcome their fears with gospel sing-a-longs and uplifting music. She reminds me a lot of Mrs. Schik, who left an indelible mark on her student, even 30 years later.
"Everything has changed in my life because of her," one of her students says. "It's making me a better person," another says. Mary says her goal is to make children feel confident through music and creativity — and it's working.
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