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CHS teacher wraps 24th year as Nutcracker conductor BY DAVID COURTLAND
SUBMITTED PHOTO
Lou Panizzon, left, and Fred Lemere tracked down the whereabouts of a plaque honoring former teacher and coach Joe Fraga and advocated for the plaque’s return.
Everything in its place
Teacher memorial plaque returned home
Months of sleuthing and searching Lemere consulted Lou Panizzon, who recently went into restoring a memohad been a student, athlete, teacher, rial to a cherished Carpinteria teacher coach and administrator at CHS for and coach from the first half of the 20th his entire career. After some searching, century. A plaque honoring Joe Fraga, Panizzon finally found the plaque in a who taught at Carpinschool district storage teria High School from area. He convinced dis1919 to 1956, existed trict administrators to near Palm Avenue for correct the oversight and nearly 50 years before fund the resetting of the Fraga plaque, as well as being removed during the construction of the a plaque that had previnew stadium. It may ously been located on the have languished in storticket booth situated at age forever had two forthe 8th Street and Palm mer students not taken Avenue entrance to the up the task of tracking field. The district added a third plaque to explain it down. both of the older ones. About a year ago, Fred Lemere, Fraga’s All three plaques are now student from 1947 to displayed near the tennis 1950, wondered about courts where the origithe plaque and what nal flagpole and Fraga MUSEUM OF HISTORY had happened to it. No plaque were situated. Joe Fraga, pictured with Fred’s wife Donna Leone at the school dismere pointed out that trict office seemed to a 1920s Carpinteria High know anything about School basketball team, Fred and Panizzon have its whereabouts. To Le- was a well-respected coach both been honored by mere, this seemed disre- and teacher at CHS from the Carpinteria Valley spectful to the memory 1919 to 1956. Chamber of Commerce as of a highly respected Carpinterians of the Year. man who had a positive influence on “This just shows that those who do for the community, never stop,” said Donna. many young people’s lives.
Carpinteria High School music teacher Elise Unruh says the reason she came back for the 24th year to conduct the symphony for “The Nutcracker” ballet at the Arlington Theatre is simple. “It’s fun—I don’t do anything that isn’t fun,” Unruh explained, adding that her guiding principle can be likened to “following your passion.” Unruh’s passion for conducting music—she was music director of the Santa Barbara Civic Light Opera when she first led “The Nutcracker”—is what prompted directors of the annual holiday event to ask her to conduct its symphony. This year’s show dazzled its audience on Dec. 13. By the time Unruh began conducting the show, she had already been associated with the production for 10 years as a musician. Her “Nutcracker” fame may be news to many Carpinterians who know her well for the decades she’s put into coaching drama and band students at Carpinteria High and Middle schools. “She’s the kind of person who is much more about the students and the music more than anything else,” said Susan Anderson, a retired English teacher who worked with Unruh at CHS for 25 years. Besides directing the high school band, Unruh oversees production of the school’s yearbook and teaches CHS’ theater student group The Muses, which tackles full musical productions. “Elise has an amazing gift for bringing out excellence in kids,” Anderson said. “You don’t know they can do that until you see them doing it.” Anderson attributes Unruh’s success with high school students to the fact she doesn’t talk down to them. “She expects them to be responsible and productive, and so they live up to her high standard,” Anderson said. The Arlington’s production of the “The Nutcracker” has the distinction of being one of the longest continuously running productions
BILL SWING
CHS band and Muses teacher Elise Unruh has a holiday nightlife that may be lesser known to CVN readers. She has conducted the symphony orchestra for the Arlington Theatre’s production of “The Nutcracker” for 24 years.
of Tchaikovsky’s ballet in the United States with full symphony orchestra accompaniment. “Until recently we were the only local production that even had an orchestra,” Unruh said, adding, “This is one of the largest area productions that uses a live orchestra instead of prerecorded music.” Unruh notes she isn’t actually associated with the ballet company, but nonetheless likes collaborating with the dancers and choreographers. “Every year there’s a little bit of change; sometimes they get guest performers,” Unruh said. “The Nutcracker” is the story of Clara, a little girl who is given a wooden nutcracker as a Christmas gift by the mysterious Dr. Drosselmeyer. That night, she experiences
NUTCRACKER continued on page 6