During the Founders' Day ceremony, former CSS faculty member Dottie Lirette was inducted into the Hall of Fame on Monday, September 30, 2024. Attendees included current and past faculty and staff, alumni, and Middle and Upper School students.
The ceremony began with members of the Upper School Vocal Ensemble and band performing the school's alma mater.
Head of School Dr. Ryan Kelly opened with remarks about Mrs. Lirette's impact on CSS:
From 1970 to 1992, Dottie was a guiding light at The Colorado Springs School, where she served as an art teacher who inspired, encouraged, and nurtured countless students. Her ability to connect with students of all levels is a testament to her extraordinary patience, kindness, and passion for teaching.
Affectionately known as the "Queen of the Carriage House," Dottie ruled her art studio with warmth and humor, making it a welcoming space for everyone who stepped through the door. In that cherished space, she introduced students to a wide range of artistic mediums, from ceramics to silversmithing, painting, and printmaking. But more than teaching skills, she taught her students to appreciate the beauty in the world around them and the value of creative expression.
Her former students recall her unwavering support, positive spirit, and ability to make even the most reluctant artist feel accomplished. Many students credit her for giving them the confidence to pursue their own artistic paths, and some are becoming professional artists themselves.
One of her former students put it best when they said, “Dottie made art accessible and fun. She didn’t just teach the subject—she made us feel like artists, even when we didn’t believe it ourselves.” Whether encouraging a student to draw, sculpt, or even paint a wall socket, Dottie always found a way to nurture creativity, individuality, and self-expression in her classroom.
In addition to her years as an educator, Dottie has continued to paint full-time, creating beautiful works inspired by barns, gardens, and even shiny Airstreams. However, Her legacy at CSS remains much more than her own remarkable artwork—it’s the inspiration, care, and belief in every student she brought to our community.
Alumna Katie Davis Gardner '77, one of Mrs. Lirette's former students, shared about the honoree's time at CSS and her legacy:
Fifty years ago, CSS was without much in the way of an arts program. Art students walked from the Trianon across Boddington field to the Pourtales House garage for their art classes. There was a small electric kiln and just one potter's wheel.
In 1970, Dottie Lirette was hired to teach art. For the next 22 years, she taught art history and studio arts to CSS students from the Children's School through Upper School. She built an expansive art department from the ground up, happily moving the program from the garage to the main campus.
Dottie reigned as the queen of the Carriage House. Her vision was without horizons, and her commitment included all students. Eventually, Al Adams pointed out to her that she was teaching time and a half in order to ensure that all ages had art education. The school hired someone to help her.
She had implicit permission from Margaret Campbell to teach any medium and any period in art history as long as the budget could support it. Over time, she built a program that included glass blowing, print-making, weaving, silver casting, plaster frescoes, painting with yucca brushes, and raku pottery firing in the courtyard- arts and art history rigorous enough to send many students on to careers as museum curators and professional artists. Several of those proteges are here to honor her today.
After she left CSS in 1992, Dottie Lirette went on to work for local public school districts 11, 12, and 20. She also mentored student teachers and even taught practicing art teachers, who were eager to learn from this multi-disciplinary master. In all, her teaching career lasted 34 years.
Out of this long career, Dottie is most proud of the life-long friendships she made, with her enthusiastic and visionary colleagues, with former students from kindergarten through adults, and with parents of those students.
Her retirement has offered the opportunity to continue her own art practice, including oil painting plein air and participating in juried shows in galleries.
Alumnus and nationally-acclaimed wildlife artist Ned Aldrich '83 introduced Mrs. Lirette before she was invited to the podium:
As a Founders' Day Honoree from 2012, I am pleased and honored to introduce the 2024 honoree: my teacher, Dottie Lirette. Being an artist is not an easy life, especially early on. There is an immense amount of self-doubt, self-criticism, and a fair share of external criticism as well: ‘You are thinking of doing WHAT…for a career?!?!’ But once in a while, if you are very lucky, you may encounter a shining star. This is a person who creates a space of caring, understanding, direction, and just enough encouragement to turn an interest into something far greater. This is an incredible gift! Dottie Lirette was my shining star at CSS.
Mrs. Lirette was presented with her award. "On behalf of the entire CSS community, past and present, we congratulate you, Dottie Lirette, and we proudly honor your legacy," Dr. Kelly said. "Thank you for your profound impact on our school and the countless lives you have touched."
Mrs. Lirette shared fond memories of her time at CSS:
My CSS adventure began in the summer of 1970 when Margaret Campbell, the founder and first head of the school, needed an art teacher, and I was offered an interview. I was young and scared but armed with a degree in art. Margaret decided I could teach her girls and soon-to-enroll Middle School boys.
Major Art (Art History) and Studio Art, along with assorted electives, would be my assignments. I was given no curriculum. My job was to develop an art curriculum and teach said curriculum.
Margaret had a number of positions to fill that summer, and she hired young, recent graduates, idealistic, energetic, and enthusiastic. All of them were equally passionate about their area of study and eager to do their best for their student. We formed a cohesive group becoming fast friends and forming lifelong friendships. We were also introduced to an outdoor curriculum. Being pushed off cliffs to learn to rappel, leaping down mountainside scree slopes, ziplining and backpacking were part of our learning experiences, along with river raft trips on the Green and Yampa rivers through the infamous Maytag Hole. We survived it all!
What those outdoor challenges did was give me the courage to also push the art curriculum. Margarate’s theory was “If you knew what it meant, you could teach it.” That first year, she saw some macrame, bought a book for me, and decided her girls might like to learn it. An art elective with macrame, tie dye, batik, and weaving was taught. After all, it was the 1970s. Classes were ever-evolving and interim weeks were soon added, allowing all of the students to pause their regular classes and explore new interests. Glassblowing was one of my earlier offerings. If I could dream it, I could teach it. One of the more out-of-the-box classes was creating New Mexican-style pit-fired pottery. Using the dirt-filled Carriage House courtyard, we dug a pit and persuaded a local horse ranching family to donate pulverized horse manure for fuel. I had the sense to notify the Broadmoor Fire Department in case one of the school’s neighbors noticed smoke and thought the school was on fire. This was followed by Raku firings as well. I’m happy that Mr. Wolfe continues this tradition of heating things up at the Carriage House.
New heads of schools brought new ideas and new faculty members with new strengths. The unit/session plan was adopted, based loosely on the block plan at Colorado College. I was thrilled to have 90-minute art classes for more in-depth time and to use the school van to take my students off campus to plein air painting locations and quick field trips.
A real turning point in art offerings was when a student returned from break and asked what I needed for the studio. The student’s family was donating a significant gift to the school, and the art department would receive $15,000! That was huge for the arts program. A new kiln, an electric potter wheel, silversmithing tools, a casting machine, a printing press, a welding outfit, and even a gas-fired kiln were added to enhance the art opportunities available to the students. That gift broadened the class offerings. In addition, we became part of the Colorado Springs art community, entering the Young People's Art Show at the Fine Arts Center, painting holiday designs on downtown storefront windows, and even decorating a construction fence around a new building. When the Kennedy Center Imagination Center came to town, CSS became a Dreammaker’s site and an unofficial mini-site. The entire student body gathered in Maytag Hall, paired up Big Friends and Little Friends, and each pair received a one-inch square image of a photo created by the photography teacher. Each pair had to recreate the small image on a 12-foot square using three values of paint. When completed, the students went on to experience their art activities in drama, music, dance, etc. while parent volunteers attached the 12x12-foot squares onto one of the theatre flats, recreating the photographic image. The afternoon ended with the students returning to Maytag, eating ice cream treats, and viewing the largest student-created image.
Through the years, all of those young teachers added to their programs as well, imagining new innovative and exciting classes, ever asking “Why don’t we …?” One of these boldest ideas was the ECS, instituted in 1978 that still exists today. It was an effort to provide local, national, and even international opportunities for the students.
In addition to friendships with faculty and staff, we developed close relationships with the families that entrusted us with their children. To this day, I am still connected to many of the local families. From that first year, those students became “my kids.” And even though many are now retired from their own careers, they are still “my kids.” I’ve celebrated their educational successes, attended some of their weddings, taught a few of their children, read their books, attended their art openings as well as plein air painted with them, and even been accepted into the same art shows as them. I’ve also mourned with them in the loss of parents, classmates, and even spouses. I treasure the friendships of faculty, staff, and parents, and I cherish the ongoing relationships of my students.
Being part of the CSS family for 22 years had a tremendous impact on my career and artistic life, and I’m certain I gained more from students than I gave. I’m happy I was able to be part of CSS and the contributions I was able to make.
So in closing, to those of you current students, you have picked a great school. I opened many opportunities to those students before you. Enjoy and take advantage of those opportunities, dare to take some risks, follow your passion, and retain those relationships with the teachers and students who are sharing your educational journey.
I’m humbled and honored by this recognition. Thank you.
After the Founder's Day Celebration, Mrs. Lirette and her guests (pictured below) enjoyed a light breakfast in the Trianon while they shared memories. Her artwork is on display in the Louisa Performing Arts Center through mid-October as we honor her legacy. View her website here.
