This month’s Alumnus of the Month spotlight belongs to

Stacey Chumley, Class of 1992.

 

Stacey, daughter of Chris (Baulos ’68) and the late Don (‘68) Fernandes, is currently in the middle of her 8th year as a Kindergarten teacher at Our Saviour School. Both Stacey and her brother Jacob (’02, now working as a Project Manager in Warrenton, VA) followed in their parent’s footsteps, attending Our Saviour School from Kindergarten through 8th grade, and then continuing on to Routt for their high school years. Following her graduation from Routt, Stacey continued both her education and volleyball careers at MacMurray College where she earned her degree in Elementary Education, graduating in 1996. Her first job after college was at Murrayville-Woodson Elementary School where she taught 1st grade for 16 years. Following her time at Murrayville-Woodson, Stacey found her way back home to Our Saviour School and has been there ever since.

 

When you see her in action, the fact that Stacey has built her career around education makes all the sense in the world. She has left her footprint on the hearts of hundreds of students and athletes as she inspires minds, both young and old alike, to be the best they can be. A perfect example: while the conversation was taking place between Stacey and the Routt Development Office about this Alumnus of the Month feature, a 1st grade student came to her classroom with homework in hand. This student had Stacey as his Kindergarten teacher last year and came to proudly show off his 1st Grade writing and reading skills. Stacey gave him all the attention in the world, and when he was done reading what he had written to her, she offered him a fist bump and told him to keep up the good work. As the boy left with a smile on his face and a sucker in his hand, Stacey explained that while he (and so many other students) is not in her class this year, she loves seeing the progress they make as they continue through Our Saviour School. The pride in her eyes was undeniable and left no question that education is where she is meant to be.

 

In 1997 Stacey married Brian (’90) Chumley. They were wed at the Church of Our Saviour, celebrated with family and friends at their reception held in the Martha Routt Room, and have been giving back to the Routt/Our Saviour community ever since. Stacey was a Routt volleyball coach for three years, she was a two-time co-chair for the Family Fun Festival, and they have both been involved with the Dreams and Fun Festival committees. They have been Fine Arts Boosters, Sports Boosters, and provided Thursday Night Dinners for the football team, among many other activities.

 

All these things that she and Brian do keep them incredibly busy, but nothing brings Stacey as much joy as watching her three children grow up; Hunter (‘18), Harrison (Senior at Routt), and Hannah (6th grader at Our Saviour School) are her pride and joy. An avid sports fan, Stacey loves that she often finds herself at a gymnasium/baseball field/golf course to support her children in whatever sport they are playing on that particular night. On the rare occasion where the kids don’t have a game, Stacey loves to spend her time reading or by being outside at her home, which just so happens to be her childhood home.

 

When asked about her time at Routt Catholic, Stacey admitted that Homecoming always comes to mind as being one of her favorite memories, specifically TP’ing with friends and the Thursday Night Bonfire. She also enjoys memories of playing so many sports with her friends. While at Routt, Stacey admitted, “Routt gave (me) the opportunity to learn about acceptance and caring of all people”, qualities and lessons that Stacey passes on to her own students year after year. She also said that she liked the fact that Routt was such a small school because of how well she was able to get to know her teachers. Those relationships with the teachers solidified the fact that she wanted to go into education herself. “I took for granted how much the teachers spent time getting to know us and help us become the people we were going to be. Now I realize what a gift that really is.”

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If you know of a Routt graduate who you would like to nominate as a future Alumnus of the Month, please email cdoyle@routtcatholic.com.