Mr. Lauto, our venerated middle school music and religion teacher, has been at St. Helen for five years. His faith guided him to this school; “I have an interest in music, religion, and teaching for a reason, and so I just followed the interest I already had in these topics, and God opened doors for me through the people I love and trust friends and family.”
Mr. Lauto has a deep fervor for music and religion—he believes music is a universal language that God has blessed us with. The idea of being a conduit for God’s love intrigued him, which led to Mr. Lauto working here.
He constantly tries to set an example for his students, applying the values taught during class: “I am, of course nowhere near perfect, but I hope the environment I build in the classroom is one that makes them feel comfortable with talking to God and those they love and trust.”
Mr. Lauto is zealous when it comes to teaching; he loves spreading both knowledge and comfort: “Anytime a student feels comfortable in my class and isn’t afraid to ask questions about something they might be curious about in the faith, or when a student tells me they started praying or going to Mass more that is when I feel I have done my job correctly.”
He enjoys Romans 12:9–21, a Bible passage illustrating how we are meant to live and treat others. Each day at school, he attempts to utilize these verses in his lessons.
“We, of course, have the Christmas pageant coming up, which is organized flawlessly by Mr. Maniscalco each year, and I am always happy to support him in making it a success.” The Christmas pageant is a day where we are brought together by both music and religion: “Music is embedded in community and our humanity throughout time, and so using music to bring together our school community is natural.” Mr. Lauto always tries to bring us closer by connecting the art of music and the faith found in religion. He has a brief message for the school: “I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Christmas break!”