Below were the remarks delivered by Mexico Board of Education President James Emery as the Board of Education honored Mr. Glen Gagnier as the district’s Proud to be MACS honoree for May 2026 at the monthly Board of Education Business meeting.

The term being a “good soldier” means being someone who can be counted on to execute without hesitation, without complaint, and with complete dedication to the task at hand. For tonight’s Proud to be MACS recipient, Glen Gagnier, Elementary Music Instructor and 4th Grade Band Director, that term has double meaning as Glen was a “good soldier” for the U.S. Army retiring after a distinguished career as a member of the Army Band and as an infantryman, and, according to Glen’s nomination, Glen has been a “good soldier” for the MACS District in that no matter where he has been needed, he goes, and he does the best job for his students.

Glen grew up in Croghan, New York, a northern community in Lewis County known for its famous deli meat: bologna. Glen graduated from Beaver River Central School District, where Glen was a three sport athlete - cross country, swimming, and track. Learning this, but knowing of Glen’s musical prowess, I asked Glen what sparked his interest in music. Ironically, it was not during his elementary years as his music instructor was not what you would call inspirational. What did attract Glen to music was hearing his 7th grade jazz band. He would take up the saxophone, but admittedly did not practice.

Following high school, Glen enlisted in the Army for two reasons. One was he knew he wanted to serve, especially following the passing of a family friend who served in the Air Force. The other reason was he heard the Army rock and roll band. Like his 7th grade jazz band, hearing the Army rock and roll band lit a fire in Glen. Unlike his participation in his school band, Glen had to practice for the Army band because he was playing with some very elite, professional musicians.

So, what was it like being in a military band? For the most part, it was a great honor as his bands would play for various military ceremonies like troops returning home. Glen did say that it was very demanding as they performed almost daily, on weekends, and, at times, late at night.

Glen played all over as he was stationed in South Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia, Korea twice, and Texas.

It was while he was stationed in Texas that he took some saxophone lessons from a high school music teacher. The teacher was also the school’s marching band director. Glen got to see the teacher’s marching band perform. Because of the notoriety of “Friday night lights” of Texas high school football games, marching band students get to play in front of thousands of spectators. When Glen saw the joy on the faces of those marching band students, he knew that he wanted to be a music instructor.

Also, while stationed in Texas, Glen began taking college classes at night; those classes worked out to a semester worth of credits per year. Some of the classes that Glen took were music classes where he was introduced to conducting. Now, one would think that having conducting in your toolbox would be a plus, but, for Glen, it was somewhat stressful. You see Glen was assigned to conducting some of those aforementioned ceremonial functions after just a few lessons of conducting. It was the proverbial going from the frying pan into the fire. In fact, after being assigned to a conducting function on short notice, Glen practiced in front of a mirror to prepare himself. He ended up doing just fine.

After ten years of active duty, Glen attended the renown Crane School of Music at SUNY at Potsdam.

Simultaneously while attending Crane, Glen decided to join the National Guard as an infantryman at Fort Drum. I asked Glen why he decided to join the infantry. He said after serving 10 years with the elite professionals of the Army Band, he wanted to feel what it was like to be a “grunt.” Needless to say, being an infantryman was quite the eye opening experience, but one that Glen appreciated.

Besides earning his degree at Potsdam, Glen would meet wife, Anna, who was a piano student at Crane. They would be blessed with daughters, Riley and Terra.

After graduating from Potsdam in 2002, Glen accepted a position at MACS as the 7th and 8th grade band director.

 

In 2008, due to the necessity of spending more time with his family, Glen requested a transfer to Palermo Elementary to assume the position of its music instructor. Glen likened this change to the change he faced when he joined the infantry after serving with the Army Band, that is, the huge gap in performance of the participants. Glen went from instructing students that could read and play music at the Middle School to students that could not read words much less read or play music.

Needless to say, it was an adjustment for Glen. Glen knew that he wanted his students to have a better experience than he had at Beaver River. His basic philosophy was to teach the students as if they were his own children. Additionally, this elementary experience provided Glen with the opportunity to teach the students a skill (music) that they would remember and use long after graduation.

As luck would have it, though stationed at Palermo, Glen would teach a few classes at Mexico Elementary. There, he was fortunate to work with Lorien Beaulieu. He would gain many ideas from Lorien that he used with his students at Palermo to enhance their music instruction.  Besides the ideas that he utilized from Lorien, Glen would also inherit her 4th Grade Band Program when she left MACS for a position with the East Syracuse Minoa School District.

Returning to the theme of being a good soldier, Glen’s nomination reads, “Since he arrived at MACS in September of 2002, he has worked in every building but the high school. If needed to split his time between elementary buildings, he does. He supports other music teachers, setting up concerts and being an extra set of hands. He goes to other’s concerts. You find him chaperoning trips, filling in for musicians, fixing broken instruments, and, with his military background, he has set up some very nice Veteran and Flag Day assemblies.”

As further evidence of being a good soldier, Palermo Elementary Principal Bob Briggs writes, “Glen also has a profoundly positive impact on our school’s culture and climate. He truly exemplifies teamwork, always willing to cover a classroom, assist with kindergarten dismissal, or temporarily relocate during state testing - each time with a genuine “whatever it takes” attitude. During the winter months, it’s not uncommon to find Mr. Gagnier in the parking lot, brushing snow off the cars of his colleagues, a small but meaningful gesture that speaks volumes about his character.”

Maybe the best example of being a good soldier was told to me by Glen during our Proud to be MACS interview. It concerned his contribution during the COVID years. You see, because of the COVID requirements of distance and masking, a good 85% of Glen’s instruction was shut down. Glen ended up being assigned to assist teaching Kindergarten virtually with former Proud to be MACS recipient, Donna Herrmann. Since he wasn’t certified as a Kindergarten teacher, Glen felt he could not fail, so instead of kicking and screaming about this assignment, he would just give it his best.  From this virtual experience of working with classroom teachers, Glen was impressed with what the staff does each and every day to make the building succeed and thereby the students succeed.

As for Glen’s favorite part of his job, Glen answered in two parts. First he loves working with students and seeing their joy when they succeed. The second part is that he has peace of mind that a safe place is being provided to students.

Palermo colleague Dave Hibbert emphasizes Glen’s love of working with students when he writes, “Anyone that has seen Glen at work will tell you he is quite the character. He really loves what he does and it’s very obvious. If you’ve ever seen him teach, you can see his enthusiasm and devotion. His love for teaching is contagious. I really admire how he brings his content to life for the students and really enjoys working with the students. He really is just a big kid at heart!”

As for his favorite memory, it involved his daughter Terra’s Kindergarten class singing performance. It was not the traditional two or three song performance but more like a culmination of pieces that the students had worked on during the year. The kids had a great time and that, to Glen, was what was important. As he stated to me, the concerts are not about him, they are about the students.

Concerning the impact that Glen has on his students, Principal Briggs writes, “Mr. Gagnier is an energetic and enthusiastic member of the Palermo Elementary School community. He instills a passion for learning and the fine arts in his students, inspiring them to grow both academically and creatively. We proudly celebrate Mr. Gagnier for his outstanding contributions to our school community. His dedication to developing our band and chorus programs has not only strengthened our music offerings but has also created unforgettable experiences for our students. His influence extends far beyond music, helping children build confidence, discipline, and a strong sense of pride.”

Fine Arts Coordinator and Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Band Director, Kevin Updraft writes, “I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Glen for over 20 years. During that time, I have consistently admired his enthusiasm and genuine love for not only making music, but for actively promoting and strengthening our music program.”

Kevin continues by writing, “While Glen is not a graduate of MACS, his pride in and dedication to our program are unmistakable        . Whether he is helping beginning clarinetists learn to produce their first clear sounds or inspiring high school students to explore new musical possibilities through improvisation, he always puts students first.”

Kevin concludes by writing,”Glen’s passion, commitment, and student-centered approach have played a significant role in shaping our music program into one that serves as a model for neighboring districts.”

 

 

Besides being an energetic and enthusiastic instructor, a few other qualities of Glen were noted by Dave Hibbert when he writes, “On a more serious note, Glen always puts others first. He is a proud Army veteran who served our country with pride. He’s also a proud father and husband. I was lucky enough to get to see him with his children in and out of the school setting. No one loves his family the way he does.”

Dave further writes, “I consider him one of my friends as well. Glen is always checking in on others and making sure all is well. We have lots of conversations about lots of different things. When I was going through some difficult times this year, I knew I could talk to him and he would listen. This helped me get through my difficulties and I thank him for that. We also both enjoy motorcycles and the first person I call when I have a question about mine is Glen. He’s willing to share his knowledge and his time whenever needed.”

Dave concludes by writing, “I’m very honored to work with such a great teacher and person. I look forward to many more years of it. Congratulations Glen. You deserve it!”

Returning to Glen’s nomination, it concluded with, “My words probably do not convey my thoughts - but you can tell Glen is Proud to be MACS even without the title.”

And so Glen, for your service to our country, for your decision to pursue a career in music education, but, in doing so, making sure your students have an enjoyable experience, for teaching your students as if they were your own children, for being an energetic and enthusiastic staff member, for your passion, commitment, and student-centered approach that have played a significant role in shaping our music program into one that serves as a model for neighboring districts, for being a proud father and husband, for being a great colleague by listening and even brushing snow off vehicles, for planning and facilitating Veterans Day and Flag Day ceremonies, for being the good soldier in so many ways, but, most importantly, for being the best example of Proud to be MACS for all of these years without the title, it is long overdue that we, the Board, officially recognize you as our Proud to be MACS recipient for May 2026.