Forever Rockwood: Dec. 4, 2025

"Forever Rockwood" is a series in which the Rockwood School District features alumni from Eureka, Lafayette, Marquette and Rockwood Summit high schools who make a lasting impact on their communities.

Read some of their stories below. If you have a "Forever Rockwood" candidate in mind, please send information about them to commdept@rsdmo.org.

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Kelly Messerla (Rockwood Summit Class of 2003), school counselor, Rockwood South Middle

Kelly Messerla and her family have deep connections in the Rockwood community. She and her husband both attended Rockwood schools from kindergarten through graduation --- Messerla at Kellison Elementary, Rockwood South Middle and Rockwood Summit High -- and her children have attended Stanton Elementary, Rockwod South and Rockwood Summit.

Now a counselor at Rockwood South, Messerla gets the opportunity to work with students who are at the same point in life and walking the same halls that she did as a student not too long ago.

"I have always been proud of my Rockwood education. I’m proud to have transformed from student to educator, especially to work at the middle school I attended," she said. "Rockwood has had a major role in my life."

She has especially enjoyed watching how Rockwood Summit has evolved from when she started there as a student, when the building was only six years old.

"It has gone through many additions and transformations since then," she said. "But a couple of things that have stayed the same are, 'Once a Falcon, Always a Falcon,' and the evening sunset views that can be seen over Rockwood Summit."

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Megan Orban (Rockwood Summit Class of 2004), language arts teacher, Rockwood South

Megan Orban also enjoys the opportunity to educate where she once learned, as a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Rockwood South. She also attended Rockwood schools from kindergarten through graduation, at Kellison, Rockwood South and Rockwood Summit.

Some of her favorite memories involve Homecoming week festivities at Rockwood Summit.

"I appreciate my Rockwood education because the emphasis on critical thinking and problem-solving helped me become a more independent learner," Orban said. "I also learned how to collaborate with people who have different perspectives, which prepared me well for real-world situations."

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Emily Stoverink (Rockwood Summit Class of 2006), math teacher, Rockwood South

Some of Emily Stoverink's most lasting memories from her time as a Rockwood student revolve around playing softball, basketball and soccer at Rockwood Summit. She was a K-12 Rockwood student, attending Stanton, Rockwood South and Rockwood Summit.

Now as a coach for the Falcons - as well as a math teacher at Rockwood South - she is hoping to help her students enjoy some of the same experiences. 

"My education in Rockwood has shaped who I am as a person. I learned to challenge myself and be confident in who I am," Stoverink said. "The teachers invested in their students, supported us any way they could and pushed us to our full potential. Summit was a great community where I built lifelong friendships and lasting relationships with former teachers."

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Dani Wexelman (Eureka High Class of 2007), sports journalist

Dani Wexelman cultivated her love of sports throughout her K-12 education in Rockwood, starting at Woerther Elementary, then moving on to Ridge Meadows Elementary, LaSalle Springs Middle and Eureka High.

Her most cherished memory is playing varsity softball for four years with the Wildcats, coached by Brad Wallach and Jan Wintermeyer.

"It completely shaped my high school experience and beyond," Wexelman said. "My favorite thing about growing up in St. Louis and going to Rockwood schools is the community that's created by the incredible educators and people who spend their time supporting the student body.

"My Rockwood education served as the backbone of my future. Besides the great education I received, it was the people who shaped my education in Rockwood. From teachers, staff, coaches and friends I met and remain close with to this day, I hit the jackpot in that department. Rockwood provided an environment to let me be a kid, make mistakes and be myself."

Her school family also served an important support role for Wexelman when her father passed away during the summer leading into her junior year at Eureka.

"I'm eternally grateful to the staff at Eureka and my teachers for wrapping their arms around me and helping me navigate an earth-shattering experience while my mom played the role of both parents and had to deal with a moody teenager," she said. "I felt really loved and taken care of by the entire community of teachers, coaches and staff."