Polly Amborn ’89

Polly Amborn ’89 is a graduate of Carthage College, and she earned her MME from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2000. She taught in the Kenosha Unified School District in 1989 when she began teaching at John Bullen Middle School. She led the Bullen choirs to three convention performances: WCDA (January 1998), NCACDA (March 2000), and WMEA (October 2000).

In September 2002, Prof. Amborn began teaching at George Nelson Tremper High School and retired in June 2024. At Tremper, she led the Treble Choir, Concert Choir, Cantare, Chorale, and Madrigal Singers in a rigorous performance schedule. Her Tremper High School Chorale performed for the WCDA State Convention in 2006 and 2015 and enjoyed performance opportunities at the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and with the Kenosha Symphony, Carthage Choir, and KUSD’s Theatre Arts Program. Her singers performed in festivals and concerts in Colorado Springs, SanFrancisco, Orlando, San Diego, New York, Chicago, and Nashville.

In February 2010, Prof. Amborn was named High School Teacher of the Year for the Kenosha Unified School District, and in January 2013, she conducted the Middle Level All-State Choir for the Wisconsin Choral Directors’ Association State Convention. Prof. Amborn has been an active WCDA member and Five Star Award Recipient, having served on the board as a district representative, three-time guest director for Singing in Wisconsin, and State Repertoire and Standards Committee chair for Middle Level Music. Prof. Amborn, a master adjudicator for WSMA for more than 30 years, also served as a cooperating teacher for numerous student teachers during her time in the classroom. For seven summers, Prof. Amborn was the vocal director for the Kenosha Youth Performing Arts Company’s musical theatre productions with students ages 5-18 and was one of the founding staff members of the KUSD All-City Choir for elementary voices in KUSD.

Prof. Amborn enjoys traveling, theatre, gardening, singing with her church choir, and spending time with her husband, Mark, their daughter, Lorelai.

• BA in Music Education — Carthage College
• MME in Music Education — UW-Whitewater

• MUS 0240 — Carthage Treble Choir