The Lexington Hall of Fame for Career Achievement is proud to announce the induction of Monica Schaller Soendker.

Monica is a lifelong resident of Lexington, whose dedication to education and community has shaped generations of students and improved her beloved hometown.

Monica’s parents, Duane and Anneliese Schaller, instilled in her a philosophy that would guide her entire life: there is more to this world than what meets the eye. Her father, a WWII veteran, and her mother, who came from Germany, taught Monica to seek out answers to her questions.

“When I had a question, they would say to look for information in the encyclopedia or dictionary or talk to someone with experience,” Monica recalls. “I tried to model this for my students throughout my teaching career.”

Monica’s educational journey took her through Lexington’s evolving school system. She attended First and Second grade at Arnold School before continuing at the brand new Leslie Bell Elementary for Third and Fourth grade.

After Fifth and Sixth grade at Douglas School, she completed her education at the Jr.-Sr. High School Building on Main Street. During high school, Monica was honored as Courtwarming princess and served as class Vice President her senior year. She actively participated in the Girls Athletic Association (GAA), Future Homemakers, Pep Club, Band, and Glee Club.

After graduating, Monica attended Central Missouri State University from 1967-1968, beginning studies toward a teaching degree. However, a guiding conversation with Mrs. Fern Collum stayed with her.

“She told me I had two choices — either to be a nurse or a teacher,” Monica remembers.

Though she temporarily set aside her teaching aspirations, that advice proved prophetic.

Monica’s working life began at age 16 at Mattingly’s Dime Store, followed by a position at Reed’s Clothing Store while still in high school. After her first year of college, she accepted a position at Commercial Bank, where she worked in the bookkeeping department and became their first proof machine operator. She was an active member of the Lexington Business and Professional Women’s Club for several years.

In 1970, Monica married her lifemate, Dennis Soendker, and they were blessed with two sons, Todd and Kirk. As her own children started school, Monica felt the pull toward her original calling.

“I have always wanted to be a teacher,” she explains.

In 1980, she returned to college to complete her BS degree in Elementary Education.

Upon graduation, Monica was immediately hired by elementary principal Mr. Roach and superintendent Mr. Neal to teach third grade — a position she would hold with passion until her retirement in 2005.

“Third graders are a gift because they are independent and want to learn,” Monica says. “I loved that they could begin doing research in their own interests and I was able to guide them.”

Monica’s dedication to her students earned her the 1990-1991 Lexington Lion’s Ernestine Seiter Teacher of the Year Award.

“Winning meant I was worthy of the respect of my peers,” she reflects. “It meant a lot to me.”

She also served as Math Curriculum Chairperson for grades K-12 and was a pioneer in bringing technology into the classroom.

Through the E-Mints program (Enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies), Monica received training and funding to incorporate computers into her classroom at the dawn of the computer age.

“This was before we had Google,” she notes. “The students could use it for research and actually see a topic in real time.”

She was also selected to join a team of teachers in Jefferson City who collaborated and researched questions for the MAP (Missouri Assessment Program) test. Additionally, Monica attended several week-long classes on “Mastery Learning” by Tom Guskey, continuing her commitment to educational excellence.

Monica is a lifetime member of First Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School for many years. For the past seven years, she has served on the Lexington Parks and Recreation Board, channeling her energy into improving her hometown’s recreational facilities.

She is particularly proud of the comprehensive improvements at College Park. Through grant writing and coordination, Monica helped secure upgraded basketball courts, remodeled bathrooms, enhanced security measures including camera installation and lighting, increased police presence, a painted shelter house with new flooring, and the installation of Central College’s Murrel Hall building stone to preserve the park’s history.

“More families are using the park because of these improvements,” she says. “The basketball court allows for more opportunities for children to play.”

She also coordinated upgrades to concrete work and fences for Lexington’s baseball fields.

In retirement, Monica continues to embrace the values her parents instilled in her. She attends her grandchildren’s events, plays bridge with childhood friends, and travels to Colorado to visit her granddaughter who is a professional chef. Through it all, she enjoys her hometown and takes pride in living in Lexington — a community she has served with dedication, compassion, and an unwavering belief in the power of seeking knowledge.

The public is invited to honor Monica at the Lexington Hall of Fame for Career Achievement Ceremony on Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. at the L.H.S. Arnold Viebrock Activity Center.