VW independent/submitted information
The four judges and the emcee have been named for Friday evening’s Peony Festival Pageant. This year’s pageant features 10 high school senior girls seeking the title of Queen Jubilee.
The four judges for this year’s pageant are Todd Schreiber, Amber Kreischer, Daniel Evans, and Caity Jackson, while Susan Burchfield will return as emcee for the 2017 pageant.
Kreischer, the 1998 Peony Queen, serves as one of the four judges.
She went on to attend Wright State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She then earned a master’s degree in elementary reading and literacy.
Kreischer taught elementary school for several years, but is now a stay-at-home mom to three boys: Landon, Tanner and Cam. She resides in the Ohio community of Metamora with her husband, Justin.
In addition to caring for her family, she enjoys working out, spending time with her family at Marble Lake, and being active in her church.
Jackson is originally from Dayton, and is a cum laude graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, with a degree in broadcast electronic media. During her college years, she spent her time performing in Eastern Kentucky’s all-female a capella choir, the “Treblemakers”, and shooting sports for Kentucky’s True Blue Coverage at Lex18 News. Jackson was given the opportunity to host a segment live on ABC’s “Good Morning America” as a college junior.
She has been involved in pageants for several years, and has competed in the Miss America, Miss USA, and International Systems, to name a few. Jackson has competed on a national level as a state titleholder and placed in the top five at Miss Ohio USA several times. She is the current reigning Miss Capital City USA and works on her platform, “Teaching Life Lessons Through the Game of Golf,” inspired by The First Tee Program.
Jackson spends her free time playing golf, going to the gun range, and doing yoga.
Schreiber, originally from Ohio City, resides in Lambertville, Michigan. He holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Bowling Green State University and a master’s degree from VanderCook College in Chicago. He is currently the K-12 vocal music instructor and theatre director for Whiteford Schools in Ottawa Lake, Michigan.
While at BGSU, Schreiber was executive director of the Miss BGSU Scholarship Pageant and accompanist and vocal coach to many Miss Ohio contestants. Schreiber serves as guest director of Muskingum University Summer Musical Theater Camp and directed the BGSU Summer Music Institute Musical Theatre Camp for 13 years. He has also presented musical theatre voice workshops for the Ohio Community Theatre Association State Conference.
Schreiber has worked extensively throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan as an accompanist, performer, vocal coach, music director, choral clinician, and choreographer. Several singers he has collaborated with are performing professionally throughout the world. He is also a member of the Canterbury Singers USA, with which he has sung several choral residencies at cathedrals in England.
His book, Olympic Games for the Music Classroom, was published in 2008 by Shawnee Press. In 2010, Schreiber directed the 7-8-9 SSA State Honors Choir and was extremely honored to be named the Michigan School Vocal Music Association’s Teacher of the Year in 2013. His high school alma mater presented him with the 2015 Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award.
Most recently, Schreiber was the 7-8-9 TTB State Honors Choir director for the Michigan Music Conference and was the guest choral conductor for OMEA District III Junior High Festival.
Evans was raised on a farm west of Venedocia. He had all kinds of music in his life growing up, including his father, who was a noted baritone soloist throughout the area; his mom, who made sure he always practiced his music; and his older sisters, who taught him popular songs of the time.
Evans graduated from York High School and graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in elementary education. While in college, he sang tenor in the a capella choir and played in the ROTC marching band and pep band.
He was in the United States Army for six years after college, two years on active duty, and then began teaching at Lima Shawnee Elementary School. He then received his master’s degree in administration from the University of Dayton.
After 31 years, he retired from Shawnee and was a teacher at Allen County Educational Service Center, working with behaviorally handicapped children. He then became a early intervention coordinator for the Auglaize County Board of Developmental Disabilities in New Bremen.
He is now fully retired, but is a faithful chauffeur and helper to his wife, Arlett J. Pollock-Evans, an advanced practice nurse who is owner of Creative Counseling Solutions in Lima. Evans and his wife have one son, Eric, who is married to Michelle and has two children, Ruby and Maria.
Evans is still active musically in the area, singing at nursing homes and retirement centers.
Burchfield is a licensed professional clinical counselor who has a private practice office located at 1054 S. Washington St. in Van Wert. She provides individual, martial, family, child, and adolescent counseling. Burchfield is also a certified mediator through the Supreme Court of Ohio and co-creator of A-OK (Assisting Our Kids). The A-OK Program assists parents in developing a co-parenting business relationship when they no longer live in the same house. The program is offered in nine counties in northwest Ohio or online at www.assistingourkids.com.
Burchfield is married to Van Wert County Common Pleas Judge Martin Burchfield and they have two children, a son, Will, and a daughter, Alex. She enjoys dancing, reading, playing in the Praise Band at First United Methodist Church, and being a member of Van Wert Optimist Club.
The 2017 Peony Pageant is set for 7 p.m. Friday in the Marsh Foundation Auditorium, 1229 Lincoln Highway in Van Wert. Tickets for the Peony Pageant are on sale now at Touches of Time Antiques, 120 S. Washington St. in Van Wert, until 4 p.m. Friday. Remaining tickets will be on sale at the door at the Marsh Foundation, where doors will open at 6:15 p.m.