Behind the Scenes: Super Volunteer, CCES Parent Lisa Allen

 

There is no such thing as a “typical” volunteer at CCES. It is truly a rainbow and a great mixture of parents and grandparents, both men and women, from all divisions. It is something we hear time and again— especially from those who are new to our school community— the involvement and dedication from our volunteers is truly noteworthy.

 

There is an army of volunteers at CCES that give their time, energy, and efforts selflessly. They are super-volunteers and yes, a super volunteer is a real thing, not just a crafty name we came up with to honor the tireless, ever reliable, and zealous individuals that grace our halls each day and are NOT on the payroll! One of them is Lisa Allen, current parent to Megan Allen ’20 and graduate Andrew Allen ’17, both of which started at CCES as Primers.

 

Volunteering at CCES is a huge component of Lisa’s life, though she prefers to work behind the scenes and out of the spotlight. On top of holding all sorts of positions on Parents Panel and Arts Guild over the years, Lisa has assisted with all of the musicals and plays at CCES for the past eleven years. Currently she serves on the Upper School Arts Guild, where she is primarily involved in costuming and organizing the Upper School play and musical, and coordinating concert attire for the music ensembles.

Lisa was born in Minnesota and grew up in Colorado and Indiana before moving to Greenville. She loved school and fondly recalls her Home Economics teacher who taught her how to sew. After abandoning plans to become a teacher or an astronaut, she graduated from Wittenberg University in Springfield, OH, with a BA in Biology and a music minor. She received her DVM from Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine and worked as a small animal general practitioner for many years until she decided to stay home with Andrew and Megan. “Now my friends call me Text-A-Vet,” she says. Her most memorable text was from friend who said her pet turkey had just eaten a Nerf dart, and wondered if that was a problem! Remarkably, Lisa spends most of her time creating costumes and organizing hats and shoes in the basement of the Hartness Performing Arts Center. Those sewing skills she learned in Home Economics are certainly coming in handy! Lisa sometimes makes the costumes from scratch, occasionally buys or rents costumes, and other times revamps existing pieces. “I enjoy volunteering at CCES because of the strong sense of community and the CCES family,” Lisa said. “I don’t think there’s another place like it, and I’m so thankful our family is here. I’ve most enjoyed working with the students and getting to know their families. Watching the kids grow up, gain confidence and shine makes my heart happy.” Specifically, costuming the Middle School Musical, The Lion King, Jr., in spring 2016 she says was “an unbelievable experience and opportunity.” “I also had a ball creating the peach for the Third Grade Play last year. And being a part of Letters to Sala in fall 2019 was truly life-changing.”

 

CCES is tremendously grateful to Lisa for the thousands of hours she has dedicated to the Arts; from selecting or modifying fabric for the hundreds of costumes she’s designed, to choosing wigs, hairpieces, mustaches, beards, and special makeups, and for her unwavering commitment to the aspects of our mission that she reflects each and every day, to lead resolutely and create imaginatively.

 

Which CCES tradition is your favorite and why?  The Lower School Christmas service—I still come to it every year!

Are you a cat or dog person and why? Both! How could I choose??

Favorite CCES trip you have ever chaperoned? Walnut Grove in 3^rd grade. And the Austria and Germany music tour this spring was pretty amazing!

Musician you would like to see live in concert? No question. Always Paul Simon.

Funniest costume blunder or wardrobe malfunction on a CCES set? We’ve had a few near-catastrophes, usually involving zippers. But the students involved don’t have to worry--those stories are safe with me! Part of being on stage is learning how to improvise and solve problems quickly without the audience realizing anything is amiss.