By Emily Omrod, Staff Reporter

More than a year ago, in a rowdy Spanish class at Tredyffrin/Easttown Middle School, freshman Niko Torres was loudly disrupting class. Then his father, who also happened to be a district administrator, walked in.

“Everyone was being loud,”  Torres said. “I was being particularly loud and my dad walked in and [started] yelling at everyone, especially me.  He said, ‘Donde está el respecto?’ I was embarrassed in front of the  entire class

Torres’ experience with his father working in the district is not uncommon. Several dozen school district employees, including teachers, administrators and secretaries, have children who attend district schools. For instance, science teacher John Ligget taught his daughter, senior Sarah Ligget, in AP Environmental Science this year.  

“At first, it was really weird,” Sarah Ligget said. 

Eventually, Sarah Ligget said that she grew accustomed to having her dad as her teacher, becoming comfortable enough by May to actually answer questions in class. 

Freshman Cooper Turley had his father, Bill Turley, as a fifth grade math and science teacher at T/E Middle School. 

“It was fun, but there were some challenges at the same time,” Cooper Turley said, adding that his peers would often say that his father gave him a special advantage on quizzes and tests.   

Though Cooper Turley did not always enjoy having his father in the classroom, some students have no problems with their parent being a teacher. Junior Elyse Viviano said that she rarely sees her mom, English teacher Laura Viviano, at school and enjoys the advantage of having a parent who knows the curriculum. 

“When I was a sophomore, it was great,” Viviano said. “She would help me understand if I had a question and couldn’t [ask] a teacher.”

Teachers who are also parents believe that their unusual position has positive and negative qualities. Bill Turley, Cooper’s father, said that he enjoys spending additional time with his children and their friends when he is at work.

“It was an advantage to know a lot of their friends. I [knew] how they liked to learn and what pushed their buttons,” Bill Turley said. 

Working in close proximity to their children can be a challenge for some parents employed by the district. Laura Viviano said that she is careful to allow her children to keep their independence at school.

“They’re going through their typical teenage stuff—I  put up boundaries and let them maintain their own space,” she said.

Emily Omrod can be reached at eomrod@stoganews.com.

This article originally appeared on p. 16 of the June 7, 2010 issue of The Spoke.

By Natalie West, Staff Reporter

Senior Annie Hibbs wanted to disappear when she noticed the 15 other teenage girls clutching their overflowing binders and nervously adjusting their hair.

“I look like a joke,” she thought as she glanced down at her small purse, feeling completely out of their league. When it was her turn to audition, she took a deep breath and realized that her only choice was to be herself and hope for the best.

A week later, Hibbs got a call informing her that her gutsy audition for a role in the movie “Dare” had paid off. She would now be playing Donna, a fictitious girl frequently bullied in her high school. “When I went down to the first day of shooting, I didn’t know who was in the movie or really anything about the movie,” Hibbs said. “I was really dumbfounded by everything that was going on.”

“Dare,” directed by Adam Salky, is an independent film that tells the story of Alexa Walker, a hard-working high school senior who is looking for the opportunity to take risks and learn more about life. Filming for the movie began in Philadelphia in the summer of 2008. Hibbs teamed up with her cast members, who included Alan Cumming, one of the stars of “Spy Kids,” and Emily Rossum, whose previous movies include “The Day After Tomorrow” and “Mystic River,” for the production of the film.

“I was cast in the movie as a featured extra, which is when you’re cast as a part and you have a name, but you don’t say anything,” Hibbs said.

It wasn’t long, though, before Salky approached Hibbs and announced that he’d like to give her some lines.

“I went from a featured extra to an actual character in the movie,” Hibbs said.

After six months of filming, “Dare” was on its way to the Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, competing with widely-released movies like “Precious.” It was then released in New York and Los Angeles, and arrived in Philadelphia on Dec. 4 at the Ritz at the Bourse.

Hibbs’ first encounter with real acting began at the beginning of high school, in her theater arts class at Conestoga. She then pursued her interest by enrolling in acting lessons at The Actors Center in Philadelphia, where she was recommended to audition for the part of Donna. Soon after the filming was completed, Hibbs received a phone call that convinced her that she might have a future in acting. The prestigious Screen Actors Guild requested to include Hibbs in its union of actors, a much sought after membership.

With her unexpected and exciting entrance into the world of film, Hibbs has taken her first step on the road to stardom. Hibbs is enthusiastic about being part of the acting world, but is not quite ready to become an addition to its long list of movie stars.

“I really want to continue acting, but as of right now I just want to focus on school and get ready for college,” Hibbs said.

Natalie West can be reached at nwest@stoganews.com.

Appeared originally on p. 15 of The Spoke’s Jan. 12, 2010 edition.

By Lauren Winigrad, Senior Staff Reporter 

Standing on Teamer Field in front of 2,000 of their peers, the marching band stared down the rope at the football team. In a clash of the athletics versus the arts, the marching band emerged triumphant in a homecoming pep rally tug-of-war.

This year, though, the band’s newfound morale extends beyond a simple tug-of-war victory.

The marching band is in high spirits this year because of its new field show, “The Beatles: A Magical Mystery Tour,” custom written to fit the variety of instruments and sound of the ’Stoga marching band.

“I honestly think this was our best show yet,” senior Susie Eichling said.

For the first time, band directors Anthony DiLella, William Seaton and Stephen Eberly decided to enter Band-A-Rama.

Band-A-Rama is a showcase for competition and non-competition high school marching bands held at Marple Newtown High School.

The ’Stoga marching band also performed its field show when their 28-song Beatles tribute was asked to be performed in Hershey.

On Nov. 14, the marching band performed as an exhibition team at Hershey Stadium.

“This was my favorite show because it pinnacled my marching band experience since I led the band,” senior drum major Kurt Van Mol said.

Playing alongside the band were various college bands and the renowned Drum Core International.

“We are very honored to have been asked to perform at this year’s event,” band director Anthony DiLella said. “The marching band has always been a source of pride throughout the school district and community.” 

The band has only one show left, the ABC/IKEA Thanksgiving Day Parade. They will perform on Nov. 26 at 8:30 a.m.

By Natalie West, Staff Reporter

Do you remember the days when you would sit at the kitchen table, molding and sculpting Play-Doh to create your favorite animal or food? Senior Tori DiRico and sophomore Meredith DiRico found a way to bring back memories by helping their younger sister enter a Play-Doh creation in an online contest.

When the DiRico family learned of the contest from a friend, they were inspired to try to win the $5,000 prize for their school and a new playroom. Children 10 years old or younger could submit a model of their favorite food and Hasbro, the creators of Play-Doh, would select the best. Tori and Meredith DiRico joined with their 9-year-old sister Rachel and their older sister Erica to create a Play-Doh model.

“We brainstormed a bunch of ideas, and thought that a taco salad would be unique and different,” Tori DiRico said.

Each family member was assigned a part to construct and the end product, “Taco Salad Fiesta,” became a colorful and realistic (though inedible) taco salad.

About a month after the model was submitted, the DiRico family found out that they had made it to the top ten, outperforming around 50 other creations. 

During the competition, the sisters took a few pictures to post on their Facebook group, “Help the DiRicos Win the Play-Doh Contest!”

“We searched Google and through the Internet to see if any of our competition had done the same thing,” Tori DiRico aid. “No one else had a Facebook group.”

The group encouraged friends and family to vote online for the taco salad. By the end of the competition, it gained more than 400 members.

The voting ended on Oct. 31,  and Hasbro notified the contest winners through the mail. Although the DiRicos did not win, they said that the experience brought them closer together.

Natalie West can be reached at nwest@stoganews.com.