Lake Highlands Choir Directors

Michael O'Hern (Director LHHS), Renee Russell (Director LHJH), Kari Gilbertson (Director FMJH),

It is a privilege to have your child as a valued musician in the Lake Highlands Area choirs. Thank you for your support of music education. In the Lake Highlands Area Choirs, we provide opportunities for musical growth and artistic expression that students could not experience on their own. But our programs go far beyond the development of basic skills and artistic talent. In addition, we are dedicated to developing the following values:

U.I.L has recognized Mr. Michael O"Hern, Choral Director of Lake Highlands High School, as a U.I.L. Sponsor Excellence Award winner for 2002-03. Director of U.I.L, Dr. Bill Farney, awarded this prestigious honor to O’Hern in front of his students and the Lake Highlands community during the high school’s annual banquet and spring concert on May 8th. O’Hern is one of 15 winners from across the state of Texas that were selected by a panel of judges in the areas of music, athletics, and academics from nominations submitted by school principals and superintendents across the state. Dr. Iden, principal of Lake Highlands High School, said " I nominated Mike because of his unwavering commitment to excellence in the field of music education, and because of his passionate caring for the welfare of his students in all aspects of their lives."

O’Hern has taught middle and high school choir for 25 years. He is currently the President-Elect of the Texas Choral Directors Association and is an adjudicator for UIL contests. At the high school level, his students have won 16 sweepstakes awards in sight-reading since 1997 and his middle school students have won 48 sweepstakes awards in sight-reading since 1982. O’Hern’s program is inclusive of special education and at-risk students, and students have named him "Most Influential Teacher" on four different occasions.

"Working with these young minds and incorporating the beauty of music is both a tremendous honor and a huge responsibility," O’Hern said. "I have considered the past 20 years an incredible journey and I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to help open young minds to the wonder of music."

O’Hern was also honored at the spring concert with the premiered performance of "Passage" composed by Michael D. Mendoza. The musical piece was commissioned by the Lake Highlands Area Choral Booster Club to commemorate O’Hern’s 20^th anniversary as a choral director in the Lake Highlands area.

Michael O’Hern is director of choral activities at Lake Highlands High School. Before coming to LHHS, he was choral director at Lake Highlands Junior High for fifteen years. Mr. O’Hern has served as a clinician and conductor throughout the United States, Canada and Australia, and is a former R.I.S.E. Teacher of the Year in Richardson.

Michael O’Hern’s choirs are consistent award winners at local, state and national competitions. Under his direction, the LHHS Men's Choir was invited to perform for the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) Convention in 2000; his LHJH Chorale performed for the TMEA in 1989 and 1994.

Mr. O’Hern has served as Junior High/Middle School Vice President of the Texas Choral Directors Association. He is a contributing author for the Hal Leonard textbook series, Essential Elements for Choir, which has already been adopted by 71% of the school districts in Texas (including RISD).

A graduate of West Texas State University, Mr. O’Hern performed for four summers in the "TEXAS" musical drama at Palo Duro Canyon. He has completed graduate work at East Texas State University and the University of Texas at Arlington. He performs as a soloist throughout the Dallas area.

(Fall 2003:) Michael O’Hern is serving as President of the Texas Choral Directors Association.

(December 2002:) Michael O'Hern was chosen as one of the winners of the UIL-Southwestern Bell Sponsor Excellence Award. He was nominated earlier this fall by LHHS Principal Dr. Robert Iden. A panel of judges representing the areas of music, academics and athletics selected the 16 winners from nominees submitted by school principals and superintendents statewide. In its tenth year, the UIL-Southwestern Bell Sponsor Excellence Award seeks to highlight the contribution of sponsors of UIL scholastic competition. The award was created to identify and recognize outstanding sponsors who assist students in developing and refining their extracurricular talents to the highest degree possible within the educational system, while helping to keep their personal worth separate from their success or failure in competition. The UILBoard/Denius Board will present the award to Mike at a future concert/event.

(Fall 2002:) Michael O’Hern was elected Past President of the Texas Choral Directors Association.

(Winter 2001:) Mr. O'Hern is one of ten teachers selected from 172 nominees to receive 2001 Texas Excellence Awards for Outstanding High School Teachers. This award is sponsored by The University of Texas Ex-Students' Association in cooperation with the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. From "Choir Notes," the choir program newsletter: "Our very own Michael O’Hern was one of 12 Texas teachers selected for the honor, which includes cash, a computer and a bronze trophy. Considered among the best teachers in their field, the 12 honorees are invited to participate in the 2001 Conference on Texas Excellence in Education. We have a treasure in Michael O’Hern – just as we suspected - you are THE BEST!"

(Fall 2001:) Michael O'Hern was honored during the Lake Highlands Area Fall Choir Concert for his twenty years as director of the LHJH and LHHS choral programs. Through the generous donations of past and present friends of the choral program, the Lake Highlands Area Booster Club commissioned Rene Clausen to write a choral composition to commemorate the occasion. He used a poem which has special meaning to Mr. OHern. Dr. Clausen is in his fifteenth year as director of the Concordia Choir at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He has composed for the stage, film, solo voice, as well as choral and orchestral compositions, and has guest conductor of major choral literature at Carnegie Hall. This was a surprise to Mr. O'Hern, who was very pleased!

(Fall 2000:) Mr. O'Hern was honored by the Lake Highlands Exchange Club with an Unsung Hero award (pictured below!).

Mrs. Berrier received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Texas Tech University in 1981. She has taught choir in the Highland Park and Dallas school districts. She came to Lake Highlands from the Garland ISD where she directed choir for nine years. Her choirs have consistently earned Sweepstakes Awards at UIL Contest and she is grateful to her mentors for these successes.

Mrs. Berrier lives in Richardson with J.J., her husband. They have three grown children and enjoy the company of their two grandsons.

Mrs. Berrier comes to us with great enthusiasm and determination to contribute to Lake Highlands' ongoing tradition of excellence in choral music.

Associate Choral Director at Lake Highlands High School Terry Berrier was recently selected as a recipient for the 2007 UIL Sponsor Excellence Award. Ms. Berrier was honored in a surprise ceremony at the LHHS Choral Department’s Annual Holiday Concert on Monday, December 17 by Choral Music Director Michael O’Hern and principal, Dr. Bob Iden.

A trophy presentation and monetary award by UIL staff is planned for the annual Choir banquet on May 16th.

Ms. Berrier has taught music for twenty-five years, including eight years at Lake Highlands High School, following nine years with the Garland Independent School District. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Texas Tech University in 1981, and is very active in numerous state-level music professional organizations. In addition to her choral teaching duties at LHHS, she is currently teaching an AP Music Theory course which recently won an incentive grant through AP Strategies, Inc. and the O’Donnell Foundation.

In the letter notifying Mrs. Berrier of her selection, UIL Director Bill Farney and UIL Award Coordinator Richard Floyd wrote: “We received many nominations from schools across the state, all of which had faculty members with impressive interscholastic accomplishments and service. Terry’s talents, abilities and commitment to the students deserve high praise. We know that the students, peers and administrators take great pride in this achievement"

(9/03:) Terry Berrier is serving a two year term on the U.I.L. Sightreading Selection Committee.

(9/02:) Terry Berrier was selected to serve a two year term on the U.I.L. Sightreading Selection Committee. She and her husband J J look forward to the arrival of two new grandchildren this year.

(9/20/00:) Mrs. Berrier spent a week of her summer attending Advanced Placement training at T.C.U. in Ft. Worth. This training has been very helpful in setting up our new Music Theory course offered at the High School.

Lake Highlands Area Choir Program Directors