Alice Stoneback, French teacher and Student Council (StuCo) adviser at Manitou Springs High School, is resigning at the end of the 2021-2022 school year to take the next step in her career as the dean of students at Air Academy High School.
Stoneback, more commonly known as Stoney by students and staff, decided to make this change because she believes becoming an administrator is the best option for her career.
She went back to school to get her principal’s license at Colorado State University-Global Campus and graduated in December 2021. Once she got her license, she began looking for administrative positions and that’s when she found Air Academy High School.
Stoneback has been working in the Manitou Springs School District for 18 years.
“My husband messaged me one day and told me to start looking for teaching jobs in Colorado even though we lived in Michigan at the time; and when I looked up French teachers in Colorado, Manitou was the first one to pop up,” she said.
“I called the school then got an interview over the phone for the next day. I was hired over the phone right after that interview.”
In Stoneback’s time in District 14, she has worn many hats.
“I actually started out at Manitou as an English teacher, so I taught freshman English and French. Then I taught some middle school French classes, and then I started teaching Student Council as a class in 2011 or 2012,” she said.
Stoneback took on coaching roles for many years, as well. She coached the 2011, 2012 and 2014 State Champion Cheer teams. She also coached track and field for several years and even traveled to Woodland Park High School to be their color guard coach.
Not only did she advise StuCo, she also was the Key Club sponsor for a year and started a French Club in her early years at MSHS.
One of the biggest impacts Stoneback has made on MSHS is as Student Council adviser.
“I became the StuCo adviser in my second year of teaching,” she said. “A teacher that was hired at the same time as me, also from Michigan, Bill Dallas, and I decided to take on Student Council together.”
She’s also the Student Leadership Committee Chair for Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA). This means she helps committees with representatives from around the state understand what each other are doing and helps them in situations that may need it. Stoneback plans to try to continue in this position even though she will no longer be a StuCo adviser next year.
Although advising StuCo has helped Stoneback teach others about leadership, she also learned a lot about it in the process.
“I have learned more from being a Student Council adviser than I think I have from any class I have ever taken,” she said. “I learned what it meant to do things from a servant’s perspective and seeing leadership as service. It is truly a way to serve the people that you’re around every day.”
Not only has she made an impact on the school as the StuCo adviser, but she has made a significant impact on her co-workers over the past 18 years.
“The halls of MSHS have her blood, sweat and tears deep within them; and no one will ever make more of an impact on this school and community than her,” said Angie Glass, Athletics/Activities administrative assistant.
“She is gifted beyond measure with the way she spends her days with students. She is a true legend.”
Stoneback has also had a major impact on many students’ lives and has taught many of them what leadership really is.
“There are over 1.3 million words in the English language, and I cannot put together enough or the right combination of them to properly convey just how important she is, not only in my own life, but for the school,” senior Gideon Aigner said.
Staff and students have looked up to Stoneback.
“She pours her heart into everything she does,” senior Camden Seal said. “It’s not her doing anything 50 percent or 70 percent; it’s always 110 percent with her, and she’s just a superhero.”
The StuCo adviser position is posted but, as of now, there are no potential offers for this position. Several people have been hired for the 2022-2023 school year, so one of the new staffers could possibly take on this position.
Stoneback will start work at AAHS on Aug. 3. Although she is excited for this change, she’s sad to leave her students and the school.
“I don’t want to have parting words, because that means this is goodbye, and I don’t like that,” she said.
“But I think if I could leave students with one idea, it would be to figure out who you are, what your strengths are and then learn how to shine and give back. And then you’ve met your purpose.”
Story and photo illustration by Emily Waite
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