‘Richest man in the world’

ST. CHARLES – Jim Stombres just wanted to direct a band.

But if the horde of alumni who surprised him Tuesday night during his final concert with St. Charles North High School was any indication, his decades-long career became so much more.

Former students from the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s populated the audience and took over the stage after performances by current students.

As a video of graduates from Batavia, Naperville North and St. Charles North high schools played, thanking the retiring teacher for his contribution to their lives, the alumni band members arranged themselves in darkness and, once revealed, left him speechless.

"You got me. I am absolutely speechless. I don't know what to say," Stombres said, emotion in his voice.

“You talk about what I did for you, but you don’t know what you’ve done for me. I just wanted to teach a band, and then all of a sudden all these people come into my life.”

Clad in “The Jim Stombres Retirement Tour 2015” shirts and colorful socks – Stombres was a stickler that black socks be worn for performances – the alumni readied themselves to once again take direction from Mr. S., as he is also known, for pieces he frequently taught: “March from Symphonic Metamorphosis” by Paul Hindemith and “Irish Tune from County Derry” by Percy Grainger.

David Hutter, a 2006 St. Charles North graduate who is now a band director at Maine South High School in Park Ridge, said the alumni planned rehearsals at Batavia High School on Sunday and at St. Charles East High School on Tuesday.

“It might not be the best concert you ever heard,” Hutter said before the surprise, “but it will definitely be the concert that means the most.”

Stombres’ wonderment didn’t seem to wane throughout the surprise. At one point he said he kept noticing more faces every time he looked around.

“I just can’t believe you’re all here,” he said.

Kendra Barrett Gohr, a 1995 Naperville North grad who spearheaded the event, described Stombres as a "modern-day Mr. Holland" who always treated his students like individuals.

A lot of people dropped everything to attend his retirement farewell, she said. She said she initially thought 50 would participate in the alumni band, but the total was closer to 110 and included many from out of state.

Vickie Bertini, Batavia Class of 1987, was among the out-of-state alumni, having traveled from Phoenix. Stombres is among the four teachers who stood out in her educational career, she said, noting he never gave up on his students.

“He expected more out of us than we did,” Bertini said, adding that one-on-one practice sessions with him helped boost her confidence.

Annie Korth, St. Charles North Class of 2011 and recent Loyola University graduate, said a lot of her favorite high school memories were from band.

“He played a big part in making [me] who I am with music and my love for music,” she said. “I wouldn’t have loved it as much as I do, and appreciate it as much as I do, if it weren’t for him.”

As another show of appreciation to their former teacher, the alumni pooled their money for a GoFundMe account, which had accrued more than $5,500 by Tuesday. They told Stombres to spend it as he wished.

“Boy, I feel like the richest man in the world,” he said, “and not just because of the $5,500.”

On the Web

Visit KCChronicle.com to watch video of former students surprising retiring St. Charles North teacher Jim Stombres.