Something to Come Home To: Full Circle
Oct 22, 2024 12:31PM ● By Lauren Pope
They say you can never go home again, but Anna Dupre disagrees. After a whirlwind three years at Loyola University in New Orleans, she’s back in Zachary with a whole new role. As a ZHS student, Anna was active in musical theater and Beta Club. Now, she’s Northwestern Middle School’s new theater teacher.
When she first went to Loyola, she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do in the theater world. She considered everything from acting, to set design, to directing. She had an epiphany while watching one of her professors - she wanted to teach and direct the next generation. While she loved Loyola itself, she knew that big city living was probably not for her. “When I graduated from Loyola and was starting to look for a job, I talked to my parents about coming back to Zachary. They enthusiastically encouraged me to apply here.”
Soon, she was back home and amazed at how much the town had grown in the short time she’d been away. “The biggest shock was the T.J. Maxx. It’s so great now to be able to buy gifts without having to leave town.”
Being at Northwestern Middle School as a teacher instead of a student has also been an eye-opening experience. “I remember how I felt as a student there, but I’m realizing now just how many different student perspectives there are,” she explains. She credits the school’s emphasis on structure and procedure as instrumental to her success as both a student and a teacher. “It can be difficult for all students, but especially for creative students, to have the discipline and focus necessary to get the project that’s in their head out into the world. I credit my time at Northwestern for developing that discipline.”
As a teacher, she was able to use those tools to help build expectations and responsibilities for her classes, and now that the school year is fully underway, she’s starting to branch out from procedure to curriculum. Support from her colleagues who were once her teachers has been enormously helpful. They are there to answer questions about the nitty-gritty of how to teach hormonal middle school students.
She has a big year planned for those students. With both fall and spring shows for both 7th and 8th grades, plus a musical theater production in the spring, there’s a lot of moving parts to manage. Thanks to the lessons she learned during her time at ZCSD, and the support of her former teachers, she’s excited to jump in. “I love being in a community like Zachary where everyone really tries to make the community better. Now that I’m back, I’m ready to try my best!”
Upcoming show list for Northwestern Middle School:
8th Grade Theater:
Junie B. Jones- Nov 15
A Wrinkle in Time - March 28
8th Grade Musical Theater:
Newsies Jr. -Feb. 20th
7th Grade Theater:
7th Grade Showcase - Fall
Mini play - Spring
When she first went to Loyola, she wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to do in the theater world. She considered everything from acting, to set design, to directing. She had an epiphany while watching one of her professors - she wanted to teach and direct the next generation. While she loved Loyola itself, she knew that big city living was probably not for her. “When I graduated from Loyola and was starting to look for a job, I talked to my parents about coming back to Zachary. They enthusiastically encouraged me to apply here.”
Soon, she was back home and amazed at how much the town had grown in the short time she’d been away. “The biggest shock was the T.J. Maxx. It’s so great now to be able to buy gifts without having to leave town.”
Being at Northwestern Middle School as a teacher instead of a student has also been an eye-opening experience. “I remember how I felt as a student there, but I’m realizing now just how many different student perspectives there are,” she explains. She credits the school’s emphasis on structure and procedure as instrumental to her success as both a student and a teacher. “It can be difficult for all students, but especially for creative students, to have the discipline and focus necessary to get the project that’s in their head out into the world. I credit my time at Northwestern for developing that discipline.”
As a teacher, she was able to use those tools to help build expectations and responsibilities for her classes, and now that the school year is fully underway, she’s starting to branch out from procedure to curriculum. Support from her colleagues who were once her teachers has been enormously helpful. They are there to answer questions about the nitty-gritty of how to teach hormonal middle school students.
She has a big year planned for those students. With both fall and spring shows for both 7th and 8th grades, plus a musical theater production in the spring, there’s a lot of moving parts to manage. Thanks to the lessons she learned during her time at ZCSD, and the support of her former teachers, she’s excited to jump in. “I love being in a community like Zachary where everyone really tries to make the community better. Now that I’m back, I’m ready to try my best!”
Upcoming show list for Northwestern Middle School:
8th Grade Theater:
Junie B. Jones- Nov 15
A Wrinkle in Time - March 28
8th Grade Musical Theater:
Newsies Jr. -Feb. 20th
7th Grade Theater:
7th Grade Showcase - Fall
Mini play - Spring
Anna Dupre [5 Images]
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