Leslie McMichael founded LesCo Productions LLC in 1996 as a full-service events and marketing Production Company. Her dream was twofold, one, to create the most uniquely interactive marketing experiences for her clients, another to fashion a career that would allow her to eventually be both a businesswoman and a full time mom. By 2001 both of these dreams had come true for Leslie. LesCo Productions was producing events across the country and at home in Louisiana. Leslie was also raising her two amazing daughters Macy and Mollie McMichael.

Under the ever-meticulous eye of Leslie, LesCo Productions has created unforgettable events custom-tailored for her clients across the corporate and private spectrum. LesCo Productions has excelled in producing many large-scale promotional events including the 2008 Starbucks employee incentive street festival for 11,000 people and 19 consecutive years of Sugar Bowl events.

Leslie has utilized her unique eye for creativity by bringing to life events, including an extravagant event featuring synchronized swimmers below the swirling lights of a Ferris wheel amongst fire-eaters all while being serenaded by opera singers! LesCo Productions produces events year-round and also specializes in keynote speaker engagements; continued educational programs; trade-show floor logistics, and turnkey incentive programs. In addition to large-scale corporate productions, LesCo Production has produced countless private sector events including dream weddings and outstanding debutante celebrations.

Leslie has also given back to the community through her business. One particular highlight was her production of the Pro Bono Project’s 2015 Justice For All Ball. LesCo Productions not only donated the entire event design and management, Leslie also produced the Justice For All Ball’s 2015 video, which helped further promote their cause.

Today, Leslie happily and successfully juggles her business, LesCo Productions LLC, and her three daughters (Raleigh 2011) without skipping a beat.

The PLEASE Foundation

The PLEASE Foundation (PLEASE) was founded in 2007 by native New Orleanian, Yvette Endom. A passion for helping at-risk children and displacement from her home for nine months due to Hurricane Katrina, drove Yvette to make our community a better place.

PLEASE adheres to its mission by identifying at-risk students in the New Orleans area who have a desire to attend college, have a strong work ethic, and continuously aim to achieve academic success. Through mentoring and education, PLEASE inspires at-risk children in New Orleans to achieve their greatest potential. Parents of the chosen students must also have a strong desire for their child to attend college and be willing to partner with PLEASE and participate in all activities to ensure their child’s success. By forming this parent/student/PLEASE partnership, at-risk students develop into young leaders in our community through mentoring, leadership training, college readiness, and scholarships to Catholic college preparatory schools in New Orleans. 

The Foundation provides scholarships and all tools necessary for its students to attend and succeed in Catholic college preparatory high schools. The ultimate goal is for the students to be accepted into college with scholarships and to achieve their greatest potential. PLEASE is changing lives through education, one child at a time.

The uniqueness of PLEASE is that it works closely with each student, their parent(s), and the child’s school to ensure that each student is achieving their greatest potential. Through intense mentoring, the Foundation transforms these students into leadership roles in their schools and communities, ending the cycle of poverty through education – one child at a time.

Once a student is accepted into the Foundation, there is a commitment to pay for their education through the 12^th grade. To continue as a PLEASE student, each child must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA, have a high attendance rate, be in good standing with their schools, and attend our community volunteer activities. The students must be involved in clubs, sports, or other extra-curricular activities as well. PLEASE prepares its students for leadership roles both in schools and in their communities.

Community service is a big part of PLEASE and our students and families volunteer as a group.

We expect our graduates to go back and volunteer in their communities – and many come back and volunteer with PLEASE! Our first college graduate, Mark Woods, is now the PLEASE Foundation’s Director of Volunteer Outreach for our current PLEASE students. Mark graduated from Jesuit High School in 2014 and ULL in 2018.

As of today, the PLEASE Foundation has experienced tremendous success helping these students. Over 320 scholarships have been provided for students to attend Catholic Schools in New Orleans. These scholarships total over $1,000,000 in scholarship money to our students. 100% of our 2014-2019 high school graduates were accepted into college with scholarships.

PLEASE currently has 20 students in High School, 22 attending college, and 7 college graduates. Each student strives to have and provide a better life for themselves and their future families, helping to end the cycle of violence and poverty that they are surrounded by every day. Education is the only way to pull a child out of poverty. The PLEASE Foundation students are the future leaders of our city.

You can learn more about the PLEASE Foundation on our website: www.pleasefoundation.org

If you would like to support the PLEASE Foundation, click here: www.bidpal.net/please

I have just embarked on my nineteenth year of teaching music. During this time, I have taught over 5,000 students. I have taught students of different races, religions, backgrounds, and abilities. I have taught students that have experienced poverty and/or extreme trauma. I have also had students that come from financially secure and/or supportive homes. Over these years, I have come to realize that there are three undeniable truths regarding music education. While you may find a multitude of research that can support these truths, I only need the evidence that has been before my eyes the past eighteen years. Here are my teacher truths.

Every child is musical.

Out of the 5,000 plus students I have taught, all have had musical ability. The variations only occur within how that ability is demonstrated. Many students have been talented vocally.  Others have had an amazing sense of beat and rhythm while others seem drawn to understanding the structure of music. Beyond all having some form of musical talent, all have been able to respond to music with emotional expression. This includes my students with severe special needs that limit their ability to move and communicate. I still remember with great joy the giggle-like sounds a boy with special needs would emit whenever I sang the folk song, “I Bought Me a Cat.”

As I have been able to witness this universal musical ability, I consider it a great honor and responsibility to help my students uncover these abilities. It is my job to nurture this natural talent and help their abilities grow. I am not teaching students to make music for one year. I am teaching students to make music for a lifetime.

Music is a natural way for students to learn.

From their earliest stages, children are naturally drawn to music. Babies vocalize sounds, shake rattles, and bang on all manner of things. With these musical explorations, the babies are learning about the world around them. Parents and caregivers expand a child’s knowledge through singing lullabies, modeling finger-plays, speaking rhymes, and singing the ABCs. Thanks to School House Rock, I am still able to sing the words of the Preamble of the Constitution. Our brains are hard-wired to learn through music.

With the knowledge that my student’s brains are innately designed to learn through music, it is my responsibility to design lessons that connect across the curriculum. We dance to life cycles. We sing about the states of matter. We use body percussion to solve multiplication problems. English Language Arts skills are interwoven into every lesson. I love it when teachers express how much our musical lessons have helped their students grow academically. I teach about music, and I teach through music. This helps every child grow. In addition, not every child does well with pencil and paper assessments. Being able to demonstrate learning through music enables all of my students to feel academic success.

Music is a time-machine to the past, mirror for the present, and inspiration for the future.

 Music is a gateway. It gives students the ability to travel through time. Not every child has the background experiences to connect with the things they study in history. I am able to build that connection and make history come to life through musical experiences. One of my favorite moments last year was when my third graders made the connections between Funga Alafia, a folk song from Nigeria, to Eliza Jane, a folk song from Virginia, to our New Orleans Brass Bands. Our history can be uncovered in the music of today.

The world around us is also reflected in our present day music. My students are able to gain a greater perspective of the world while learning how to safely express their points of view through music. It is breathtaking for me to hear the world through my students’ musical creations.

As for the future, music is a way to instill hope in all kids. This feeling of hope is a key ingredient for a successful future. I will forever find ways to wield the power of hope through music.

In Conclusion

 As the 2019-2020 school year progresses, I will carry these teacher truths close to my heart. They give me hope, purpose, and are at the heart of why I am a music teacher. As “the truth will set you free”, these truths give my students the wings to fly. 

• Facebook link –  Kelly Stomps 2016 Louisiana Teacher of the Year
• Twitter – @KellyStomps
• Blog – https://stompnchat.com/