Juneau music teacher suffers fatal heart attack

Students from two Juneau schools are mourning the loss of a music instructor this week after he died from a reported heart attack Saturday.

In an email from Floyd Dryden Middle School principal Jim Thompson to parents Monday afternoon, it was announced that the school’s band teacher, Mark Ruppelt, died while being transported to Anchorage after he suffered a heart attack in Juneau on Saturday.

“He said to me just last week, ‘Jim, you have got a jewel of a school here. The kids and the staff are amazing. I cannot believe how kind and talented these kids are,’” Thompson wrote in the email.

Thompson did not immediately return the Empire’s request for an interview.

Juneau School District Chief of Staff Kristin Bartlett told the Empire on Monday that Ruppelt was also an orchestra and choir instructor at Thunder Mountain High School. Ruppelt had just begun his first year as an employee with JSD in August.

Bartlett said district officials were able to quickly share the news of his passing with students and the community because Ruppelt’s daughter gave the district permission. Bartlett added that she knows this is already an extraordinarily hard time for students at TMHS who are still grieving the loss of student Ryan Mayhew, 17, after police say he unintentionally shot himself Sept. 17.

Both TMHS and Floyd Dryden will have counselors on hand for students who need someone to talk to this week.

“I know that although Mr. Ruppelt had been on staff only a short time, he was well-liked in the school community, and reportedly he had a great affection for the Juneau community and for his students. He thought they were extraordinarily talented,” Bartlett said. “The Juneau School District’s thoughts are with Mr. Ruppelt’s family at this difficult time.”

Bartlett could not confirm Ruppelt’s age at the time of his death.

• Contact reporter Paula Ann Solis at 523-2272 or paula.solis@juneauempire.com.