Music teacher inducted into the Hall of Fame

Decades of musical genius have landed Lisa Rayner in the South Carolina Music Educators Association (SCMEA) Hall of Fame. Rayner is in her 30th year of teaching, the last 28 of which have been as a music specialist at Pontiac Elementary School in Richland School District Two. At Pontiac, she teaches general music to 800 students in the traditional grade K-5 classrooms, as well as the Montessori Magnet mixed grade classrooms. She also directs the Pontiac fourth and fifth-grade chorus after school. Last week, she was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame in front of her peers at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

“Richland Two has always been supportive of the arts programs and their teachers, allowing us to participate in our state and national association events. Without that support professionally, I would not have been able to achieve what I have to be bestowed with this honor,” said Rayner.

She is the Assistant Director of the award-winning Tri-District Arts Consortium (Tri-DAC), an auditioned summer intensive program for students gifted and talented in the performing and creative arts from Richland School District Two, Lexington School District One, and Lexington/Richland School District Five.

Rayner is a Past-President (2015-2017) of SCMEA, a Past-President (2009-2011) of the Elementary Division of SCMEA, and has served on the Southern Division Board of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), the NAfME Council for General Music Education, the South Carolina Council of Arts Education Presidents (CAEP), and the first National Advisory Council for Quaver Music (now QuaverEd).

Rayner holds a Master of Education degree in Education Administration with elementary principal certification from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor of Music degree (summa cum laude) in Music Education with choral and instrumental certification from Columbia College.