Vernon Hills HS orchestra leader to retire

Vernon Hills High School's longtime fine arts supervisor and orchestra leader is planning to lay down his baton.

Frank Lestina, who's been at Vernon Hills since it opened in 2000, recently announced he'll retire at the end of the 2012-13 school year. He made the announcement now because of state pension rules.

Spending more time with his family - especially a grandson born last December - will be his priority in retirement, he said.

"As you can imagine, my job gets in the way of many family events," said Lestina, of Libertyville. "I also would like to travel more. My wife, Laura, and I love to travel but we have been limited to two months in the summer and a week at spring break. We are really looking forward to traveling at other times of the year."

Lestina is one of three members of the Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 fine arts community planning to retire within the next few years.

Libertyville High band director Don Shupe is retiring next summer, and Libertyville High fine arts supervisor Dan Patterson has announced he plans to step down in 2011.

"The coming years will definitely be a time of transition," District 128 spokeswoman Mary Todoric said. "They will always be a big part of our history, as they have left an indelible mark on the face of our fine arts programs."

With degrees from Roosevelt University in Chicago and the University of Illinois, Lestina launched his teaching career in 1980 as the orchestra director at downstate Danville High School.

He moved to Libertyville High School in 1986 and remained there until Vernon Hills High opened.

During his tenure in District 128, Lestina-led orchestras have performed in Europe and China and earned honors at state conferences.

"In the past 30 years, I have traveled with students to Iowa, Minnesota, Florida and Arizona and international trips to France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Spain and China," he said. "I really look forward to visiting some of these places again but maybe without 80 high school students."

Lestina certainly has earned the respect of his students, some of whom created an online "Frank Lestina Fan Club" at facebook.com.

"He demanded the best from us because he knew we were capable of it and wanted the best," one student wrote on the Web site. "We remember the success we all had under him and how he inspired most of us to continue playing in our lives."