Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Fort Smith educator invited to perform on Kelly Clarkson show
FORT SMITH — A Euper Lane Elementary School educator was thrust into the spotlight Monday after a performance on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Lacey Thomas was invited to perform on the show after an Instagram reel posted Aug. 10 by Jon Gordon featured Thomas performing with a band made up of School District personnel at a welcome-back-to-school event. Gordon was the keynote speaker for the event. The group performed Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.”
“So this happened before I spoke!” Gordon’s post stated. “It was the coolest convocation I’ve ever seen. This band of teachers was epic and the singer was an elementary school teacher who sang like a legend! Someone call the Voice!”
The buzz surrounding Thomas’ lead vocals eventually caught the eye of producers from The Kelly Clarkson Show. She flew to New York to sing on the show, and an hour before recording, Clarkson decided she had to sing with Thomas.
“I am beyond grateful for the outpouring of support and encouragement from the community and beyond,” said Thomas, a graduate of Northside High School. “Music has always been a passion of mine, and to have the opportunity to share that passion on such a large stage is truly the experience of a lifetime.”
The High Reliability Band consists of district administrators, staff and teachers performing each year at the district’s back-to-school event.
One of the responders to Gordon’s initial post said, “I wasn’t expecting that voice to come out of that tiny, beautiful lady! Loved every minute of this! Ah-mazing, powerful performance! Why is this woman not a well-known, famous name by now?”
Thomas works in Euper Lane’s special education class.
Visit https://www.instagram.com/p/Cvybo2sgwcS/ to see the performance.