Meet the KMU Staff: The Ritual Department

New to DeMolay?  Not very good at public speaking or ritual?  Then choose the Ritual Department at Key Man University!

We’ll start from the basics, and first teach you what makes a good ritual performance, how to do floorwork, and how to memorize effectively.  Once you have that down, we’ll move onto how to act, understand and interpret our ceremonies, and improve your public speaking.  Then we’ll get into some advanced concepts… how to mentor other DeMolays in ritual, how to compete and win at ritual tournaments, and how and why the Ritual changed over time.

The faculty members are all expert ritualists, and we look forward to working with you at Key Man!  You’ll receive individual coaching and instruction, and learn how to perform well in a team setting.  We promise: you’ll graduate as a seasoned veteran!

"Dad" Greg Schaeffer is the Department Chair.  He is a Senior DeMolay from Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, and Deputy Member of DeMolay International.  He was also Director of Ritual for New York DeMolay for 8 years.  For the last 10 years, he’s been a key part of the Ritual & Regalia Committee, and was the architect of the latest 15th Edition of the Ritual.  At the same time, Dad Schaeffer also knows what it’s like to be a very nervous DeMolay ritualist, and how to overcome a huge fear of public speaking.  This is his 16th year on the staff of Key Man and he can’t wait for another great year!

"Dad" Andrew Strucek is a Senior DeMolay from Point Pleasant Beach Chapter on the Jersey Shore. He served as Charter Master Councilor in 2003 and later State Master Councilor in 2007.  Dad Strucek was the 2008 Congress Parliamentarian and Chairman of the Congress Ritual Committee.  He now serves the State of New Jersey as its Director of Ritual.  He looks forward to a return to Key Man, where he first learned Orator and the basics of ritual that shaped his DeMolay ritualistic career.

Rounding out the Department is "Mom" Nancy Storrs. Nancy has been a DeMolay Advisor for 10 years , and previously served as Director of Marketing and Communications for Wisconsin DeMolay. She has directed, produced or costumed numerous plays & musicals and confesses to having written bad comedy. This summer she hopes to share more acting tips, and memorization techniques with the young men of DeMolay as a Ritual Advisor.