My name is Whitney Maulsby. I currently teach in Minden, NE. When I was growing up here in Minden, my music teacher was Mary Smith. Teachers like Mrs. Smith come around once in a lifetime, but Mary came around twice. She retired several years ago after a remarkable teaching career. She built a musical dynasty here in Minden. But that's not the best part. We recently had a music teacher leave during the middle of the semester, and Mary selflessly gave up retirement to save us.

She got a call at her cabin in Estes Park and was back in the classroom after the weekend. She couldn't stand to see the kids miss out on a minute of musical momentum. She's not just a music teacher, a mom, a grandmother, a wife, a farmhand, a friend, a dedicated community member, or even a human being. She's got to be a superhero!

As a second mom, she has always been special to me, but as an educator, she changed the culture here at MPS. Sometimes all you need is love...a love for music and kids!