Spiegel retires after 44 years in education

MADISON – Raquel Spiegel has helped thousands of young people brighten and color their world in many shades. She has decided to retire after 44 years in education.

Friends and colleagues will honor Spiegel at a reception at Discovery Middle School’s media center on April 12 from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Spiegel teaches visual arts at Discovery with classes in sculpture and mixed media and sponsors Art Club. “I’m so honored to work with such awesome young artists,” Spiegel said. “My students have been recognized in numerous competitions at district, state and national levels.”

“I find it rewarding to keep art alive in my school, community and in our future. The major challenge is helping students see the connection between art and all the curricular,” she said. Spiegel’s slogan is “Where Is Art Not?”

Spiegel earned degrees at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic University in San Antonio, Texas and George Mason University. She has taught in Kiserslautern and Baumholder, Germany, Texas, Colorado and Virginia.

Spiegel has guided students to many honors, such as Blue Ribbon finalists in Visual Arts Achievement contest with Huntsville Museum of Art, Black History Enrichment and Enlightenment Festival and numerous contests for ethnic art. Her students pursue service projects, like sending treats to soldiers deployed to Afghanistan.

“I have a very supportive family. My husband is retired Col. Michael ‘Spud’ Spiegel, president of System Dynamics International. We were blessed with two wonderful sons,” Spiegel said.

Their son Kevin lives in Louisiana, while son Brian is a Florida resident. The Spiegels moved to Madison in 1995 from Washington D.C.

In 2013, Raquel and Spud returned to Paris for their 35th wedding anniversary. Originally, they met accidentally travelling to Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany. Spud was touring with his parents from Ravenna, Neb. Raquel was exploring the arts in Europe.

Three weeks later, she accepted his invitation for a weekend to Paris, “knowing all the amazing art my eyes could take in. We traveled on the midnight train to Paris and roamed the city.”

To admire the Palais Garnier opera house, they sat outside Cafe de la Paix. “Shortly after sitting down, Lt. Spiegel popped the question,” Raquel said. “I jumped into a state of shock.”

They married at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic University with 500 guests and 14 bridesmaids.