Going to Priory, there is one person with whom you will definitely not avoid interacting, especially if you’re late or plan to leave campus early. Whether she is helping students with their schedules, reminding teachers to submit attendance, or completing one of the numerous other daily tasks, Mrs. Chestnas is always working hard to ensure that each day runs smoothly and efficiently. Most students, however, have no idea of the fascinating events that preceded her employment at Priory.

In 1991, KTVI hired a new employee, and this was Mrs. Chestnas’ beginning of a long and successful career in the radio industry. At KTVI, she dealt primarily with analyzing and interpreting the ratings of the network. She knew that nothing broadcast on the radio was free and that the station would have to maximize its number of listeners in order to stay up and running. Then in 1999, she moved to KMOX, where she met and regularly spoke with renowned Cardinals baseball broadcaster, Jack Buck. Along with continuing to work on ratings, she dabbled in voiceovers and other advertisement work. Mrs. Chestnas says that her career peaked while working for KMOX as she knew that she had found the real deal and loved being among the best of the best.

Once she married John Chestnas in 1999, Mrs. Chestnas decided that she wished to depart from the radio industry to stay home and raise her children. She did not let her hard-working spirit leave for a second though. Mrs. Chestnas decided to start her own catering company known as Silver Spoon Catering. From a young age, she loved to cook. Now having more than a hundred cooking books, I think it would be safe to say that she has had more experience than most of us with preparing food. In 2011, she switched gears. She decided to stick with desserts and currently operates Sweet Annie Rose Baked Goods, Chocolates, and More (which she named for one of her daughters). 

I would like to deeply thank Mrs. Chestnas for all of her work as she has to deal with people who sleep past an alarm, forget they have class, or are exposed to COVID-19. She is the one that makes sure the school stays under control and that all students and teachers are in their proper places at the proper times. Her only request is that we do our best to communicate with her if we are late, have a free period, or need to leave campus any time during the day. Thank you Mrs. Chestnas!