Kelcie Matesa Reinhardt graduated from Gillespie High School in 2008, earning a $500 Marge Turcol Memorial Scholarship from The Partnership for Educational Excellence.
Kelcie entered St. Louis University in the fall of 2008 on a softball scholarship. She majored in special education, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2012. She is certified to teach Kindergarten through 12th grade special education and to teach grades 1 through 9 in elementary education.
She plans to return to school in the near future to earn a master’s degree “in an area related to special education or education in general.”
Kelcie is currently employed by SMASE (South Macoupin Association for Special Education) in Gillespie. She teaches life skills to high school students on the campus of Gillespie High School. SMASE is a special education co-operative that serves students from Gillespie, Mt. Olive, Bunker Hill, and Staunton.
“My classroom is a self-contained special education classroom where the students are not only taught academics, but important life skills that they need to become independent individuals upon graduating from the program,” she says.
In her spare time, Kelcie “loves to spend time with friends and family,” she says. “I also give softball pitching lessons to young girls from around the area.” This fall she will begin coaching alongside Michelle Smith for the Gillespie Middle School softball team.
She and her husband Mike have been married for four years. They have a daughter, Delanie, who will be 2 years old in the fall. “My husband and I plan to expand our family,” she says, “and we are planning on building a new home as well in the near future.”
Regarding the role of post-secondary education in her life, Kelcie says: “It has allowed me to attain the level of education that I needed in order to help the children in my classroom become self- sufficient in the real world and to be successful individuals.”
Her Turcol memorial scholarship from The Partnership was used to purchase “necessary supplies needed for my schooling.” (All Partnership scholarships are deposited with the bursars in the recipients’ college; funds may be used only for tuition and other fees, books, and equipment required by the college.)
Kelcie is the daughter of Kim and Jim Matesa of Benld.