From students:

The biggest gift Mary Shea Rys ever gave me was a love for Storytelling.  She brilliantly showed me how stories can elicit laughter, invite reflection, and even move an audience to tears.  From the silly to the serious, she inspired all of us to harness the power of story for ourselves as we performed for audiences of our parents and peers.  Back then, I was an eager elementary school student who was a voracious reader, but who didn't know the first thing about telling a well-formed tale.  Today I am a published author and a tenured Associate Professor of creative writing, but, above all, I am a storyteller.  One story at a time, one line at a time, one word at a time - Mary showed me the way.

-Jessica L. Folk. Associate Professor, Western Kentucky University (former student of Mary Shea Rys)

From parents and families:

For the Alamond children, there was never a time at Liverpool Elementary during which they did not have Mrs. Rys in their lives, whether as a reading teacher, or as their ever-encouraging and always fun Storytelling Club leader.  She was a driving force in the lives of Lambros and Molly Alamond, who both learned what it meant to be on stage, and how to be comfortable performing in front of a crowd.  Both kids have used the knowledge and skills they learned from Mrs. Rys to continue their own personal journeys to the stage.  Lambros has gone on to perform in numerous productions for community theater, films, and every acting and musical performance taking place at LMS and LHS during his tenure in the district.  For Molly, she has already performed in a handful of community theater productions and looks forward to her years ahead performing on stage.  This shy girl who was often too scared to speak to people as a little one, is now singing in the school talent show, performing at Adventures in the Arts, and, just as the pandemic hit, had scored the lead role in a community theater production of Oliver.  She recently played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz!  For Isabel, she also loves storytime, which surely was something she learned from Mrs. Rys.  All of these achievements were made possible for these children because of the love, support and education offered to them so generously by Mrs. Rys.  The whole Alamond family believes that Mrs. Rys has been an inspiration to always push for greatness, whether it's acting, reading, or just being a good person.  She has continuously led kids down the right path when it comes to being the best they can be, and, even after her retirement, she continues to be a cheerleader in their lives.  

-Neil, Sarah, Lambros, Isabel and Molly Alamond

From community members:

Last year, my office was thrilled to select Mary Shea Rys as one of our 2023 Exceptional Women honorees.  Tonight's amazing performance of Irish folktales at the Liverpool Public Library served as a reminder of why she was the perfect choice for that honor.  Thank you, Mary, for sharing your talents and passion for Storytelling with the community!

-Matt Jones, Assistant to NYS Assemblywoman Pamela Hunter, 128th District

Our Irish Heritage Society celebrated our Celtic Harvest DIner with a showcase of storytelling by Mary Shea Rys.  Mary's stories combined lighthearted, energetic and mythical tales with well-researched, ancient stories of our Irish culture.  The addition of music and song added depth and atmosphere to the tales.  Each story was well rounded, unique and brought us all together in the love of our common homeland.  She held the almost 100 people spellbound with rapt attention and delight.  Mary provided us with an extraordinary evening we will long remember.

-Ann Rotunno, President, Irish Historical Society, Sun City, Bluffton, South Carolina

As Storytelling icon and teacher extraordinaire, Mary Shea Rys' contributions to the arts throughout her long teaching career in the district are legendary, and she continues to enrich the community through her storytelling workshops and presentations.  As a former newspaper reporter/editor at the Liverpool Salina Review, I was privileged to know Mary and to write about her creative work with the children of the community as well as her outreach programs at her church and the library.  Later, I came to know first-hand how effective Mary's mentoring could be when my granddaughter joined her Liverpool Elementary School Storytelling Club.  In weekly sessions, pupils learned techniques of public speaking, collaborative storyteling and creative expression.  This training was a terrific self-esteem booster for my granddaughter and her friends, and it all culminated in the annual Adventures in the Arts, where their presentation was a popular component of the program. Now, recently retired from LCSD, Mary is a popular presenter of storytelling workshops through the Liverpool Public Library, as a guest in classrooms, and in other venues.  Her exuberant presentation style, her creative interpretations, and her warmth in a group make even the most introverted attendee feel brave enough to participate.  There is more than a little magic in Mary Rys . . . 

-Linda Loomis, former reporter/editor, The Liverpool Salina Review

From colleagues:

It has been so inspiring to watch Mary work with the children at the Liverpool Public library.  Using her own storytelling experience, Mary nurtures the participants in such a positive way that they seem to blossom in a single week.  Mary's skills as an educator have helped her perfect this introduction to public speaking and storytelling with a balance of demonstrating her own skills, encouraging the children to mentor each other, and then gently guiding them into their own performances.  Throughout her tenure with the public library, I have seen multiple children attend the Storytelling Camps simply because they want to reconnect with Mary.  I have seen children who would have never gotten up in front of an audience get the courage to perform because of the encouragement of Mary and the other children.  I have seen children who like to be the center of attention reflect thoughtfully, and kindly, on the performances of other children.  Three of Mary's former students came to our [previous] Storytelling Camp and announced that they are performing in upcoming shows - two in school plays and one at a regional theater.  In addition to leading the camps for the children, Mary has shared her own talents by performing here at the Liverpool Public Library.  Our families have thoroughly enjoyed her storytelling, especially the interactive nature of her tales.  Clearly, Mary has had a profound and lasting impact on the children of this community and she continues to influence the children throughout her retirement.  We consider ourselves very lucky to have her as a resource here at the Liverpool Public Library.

-Joellyn Murry, Coordinator, Children's and Family Services, Liverpool Public Library

Mary Shea Rys is one of a kind.  Her love and passion for the arts is in her heart and soul and seeps out into everything she does.  As a former principal in Liverpool for seven years, I worked with Mary for all of those years.  She is one of the brightest educators I've ever had the honor to learn from and work alongside.  Mary's love for the arts contributed to the Liverpool community in many ways throughout her extensive career as a reading specialist.  She ran a Storytelling club every year that was the most popular, well-attended club we had.  Many students from the middle and high school levels would come back each week to take part in her Storytelling Club years after leaving Liverpool Elementary.  Mary advocated for the Storytelling Club to be a part of Adventures in the Arts and worked tirelessly to showcase the hard work of this group of students who may not have had the opportunity to shine otherwise.  

-Darcy Cangello, Superintendent, Tully Central Schools

Mary is a tireless supporter of the arts in our classrooms, school and our community.  Mary brought her passion for storytelling to Liverpool Elementary School, after transferring from Elmcrest Elementary.  Through the Storytelling Club, Mary motivated so many children to learn and practice this art for a number of months every year after school.  Her hard work and sharing of her skills culminated each year in a performance by all the students reciting their works at Adventures in the Arts at Liverpool High School.  Mary promoted such confidence in even the shyest of our students.  Her dedication of countless hours running this club left a lasting impression on her students as many would return as high schoolers to mentor our elementary school children.

-Bill C. Mugridge, former principal of Liverpool Elementary

I first met Mary Rys when she began attending courses that I taught through Syracuse University's continuing education program on literature and storytelling.   Mary attended these classes regularly every semester for more than ten years.  She always brought so much enthusiasm to the material and was a significant participant.  Watching her storytelling abilities develop over the years is very rewarding.  She makes a very personal connection with the stories she tells.  It was this identification with the stories, as well as her relationship with her audience, that was dynamic.  Mary was so proud when she shared with me the activities of her Storytelling Club.  She has great affection for the students.  Through the years, Mary has continued to attend storytelling retreats as she is truly a lifelong learner.  Most of all, it is the quality of Mary's character and personality, as well as her warmth towards others, [that demonstrates her] excellence.  Mary Rys is truly a professional.

-Kaye Lindauer, Lecturer, Chautauqua Institute, Chautauqua, NY and former adjunct professor and instructor, Syracuse University and Syracuse University College