My name is Sam Schlaich and I teach band and percussion at Westwood. I am currently in my tenth year of teaching, and third year at Westwood. I am married and have two children, David, 7 and Abigail, 3, as well as two dogs, Dawg and Mica. My wife, Heather, is the principal of St. Charles Catholic School in Spokane and has also been in the education field for 10 years.

 

I love the outdoors and spend a lot of time camping and hiking with my family. In summer, we are often out of town on some road trip with our trailer and dogs. Obviously, music is my passion, and during the summer, I will help to put together groups of friends and former/current students to play JUST FOR FUN! It's always an incredible experience!

 

I received my Bachelors in Music Education at EWU, and began teaching in the Post Falls School District as a middle school band and choir teacher. As my family grew, I took a teaching position in the Reardan School District as the K-12 general music, band, jazz band, choir, jazz choir, and pep band director (whew!). After three years at Reardan I was lucky to be offered a position in the Cheney School District, where I was already working with the high school marching band as the woodwind instructor and visual instructor.

 

After teaching at Windsor Elementary, I moved to Westwood Middle School to take the Band and Percussion position. I started out as a middle school band teacher and was really excited at the opportunity to come back to middle school and be able to focus just on band and percussion. Through music, I've had amazing opportunities, seen many parts of the country, and have been a member of some great ensembles. I feel incredibly honored to be able to share this passion with my students everyday. I love the students and their incredible growth they show from year to year! To see students grasp their potential, show grit, and thrive in new experiences and opportunities is inspiring to me and what I love most about Westwood!

 

I currently teach: