Sidelight: Leslie Sparacello
December 01, 2025
SIDELIGHT

As an icebreaker at meetings, Leslie Sparacello, superintendent of Cedars International Academy in Austin, Texas, sometimes drops this: As a teen, she once sang with crooner Barry Manilow, who was visiting her school. By then, singing was Sparacello’s passion. “I was very shy,” she said. “It was my way of having an alter ego.” She eventually found her way back into performing, today singing lead with Groove Knight, an Austin-based party band, delivering hits across genres. She loves the electric moment of connection with an audience — the same thrill she felt as a teacher, watching students’ eyes light up. “Being a superintendent now, you don’t get those moments,” says Sparacello, who joined ܲAVƵin 2025. “[Performing] is a different kind of connection, but it’s still a connection.”
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement