St. Charles School District names Distinguished Alumni Class of 2024

St. Charles School District 303 will honor four alumni in November as the Distinguished Alumni Class of 2024 for their achievements and endeavors after graduation and contributions to the community.

The district will host a public reception and ceremony Nov. 14 at The Norris Cultural Arts Center, 1040 Dunham Road. The event will begin with a meet and greet with honorees at 4:30 p.m., followed by a ceremony from 5 to 6 p.m.

The honorees will tour St. Charles East and North high schools to meet with students and staff Nov. 15.

This year’s honorees hold professional roles in the fields of mental health, legal, fine arts and executive search. Candidates are selected by the District 303 Distinguished Alumni Committee.

Sixty-seven District 303 alumni have received the award since its inception in 1997. This will be the award’s first in-person celebration since the pandemic.

“We are thrilled to be honoring our 2024 District 303 Distinguished Alumni and look forward to hosting them all later this year,” Distinguished Alumni Committee Chair Clint Hull said in a news release. “Welcome back festivities for our recipients will include school visits and meetings with current high school students to discuss their experiences in St. Charles, careers and how their time here has contributed to their success. Year after year, our students and teachers share with us how impactful it was to hear from the alumni who walked the same halls they do.”

The 2024 Distinguished Alumni recipients are:

Cheryl Denz

Denz graduated from St. Charles High School in 1991 and earned a bachelor’s degree in art therapy from Bowling Green State University and a master’s in art therapy from the University of Illinois-Chicago. She is a St. Charles resident and licensed clinical professional counselor.

Denz established her St. Charles-based private practice Riverview Counseling Services in 2002. The business works with children and their families. Through Riverview, she has supported the community by providing free parent workshops, serving on District 303 committees and producing online parent support videos for district parents during the pandemic.

Denz was appointed to the St. Charles Youth Commission in 2016 and the St. Charles Mental Health Board in 2018 and served on the district’s Citizen Advisory Committee in 2020.

Denz is on the board of DayOne Pact, a nonprofit serving children and families impacted by developmental challenges. She is the founder and chair of STC L.E.A.R.N., a nonprofit helping District 303 students access equal learning and academic opportunities regardless of obstacles created by ethnicity, financial circumstances or personal hardship.

Rick Gibson

Gibson graduated from St. Charles High School in 1985 and the University of Pittsburgh Law School. He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Loyola University of Chicago.

Gibson practiced law at the international firm Jones Day in Columbus, Ohio, where he was named a partner in 2005. He started his own firm in 2013. After he and his wife had a son with Down syndrome, they founded Buddy Up for Life, Inc., a nonprofit focusing on improving the lives of individuals with Down syndrome.

Jeffrey LaDeur

LaDeur graduated from St. Charles East High School in 2004, completed his undergraduate studies at the Eastman School of Music and earned a master’s degree in chamber music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

A classical pianist, he performed internationally as a recitalist, chamber musician and soloist with an orchestra. His musical career has included accompanying silent films, performing as a soloist in a Mozart concerto, recording in the studio, collaborating in vocal and instrumental chamber music and a one-man show “Concert Confidential.”

Now an educator, LaDeur mentors gifted young musicians who compete at the national level. In 2017, he founded the San Francisco International Piano Festival, an annual musical celebration of the piano and its repertoire.

Karen Schmidt

Schmidt graduated from St. Charles High School in 1996 as class president. She graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas and went on to work as a recruiter with Kaye Bassman International, where she is managing partner.

Schmidt is president of the Sanford Rose Associates Network. She has thousands of clients in more than 30 countries and has been recognized by the Dallas Business Journal’s “40 Under Forty” list.

Schmidt serves as director of the Kaye/Bassman Foundation, a charity that has donated more than $2 million since its inception.