Mrs. Pavao has played a huge role in teaching English for the past 20 years, but this year she decided to take on another type of role as the drama club advisor.
Pavao originally became the drama advisor because freshman Sophia Deware asked her to. More than 40 kids were interested, so they needed an advisor. Pavao was willing to try new things and help students out. She dedicated more than 100 hours as the advisor to produce the school’s first drama club production in over a decade. Adventures in Wonderland and What Alice Found There, a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, was a hit, drawing over 200 people for the two-show production.
“I was excited to help out the kids by being their advisor and trying something new!” Pavao said.
Pavao worked hard to make the play as special as possible. She and the students put together concessions and a collage of pictures promoting the actors and production crew. She also came up with the idea to have a VIP package that included bunny ears, a crown headband, a signed picture of the actors, and an exclusive picture taken with the cast after the show. She even reached out to The Valley Breeze to get more publicity for the play that the students worked so hard on.
“I had no idea it would be as much work as it was!” Pavao said. “But it was so rewarding!”
Director of the play Helen Green praised Pavao’s work.
“She is always willing to step in to make a difference in her students’ school lives,” Green said.
For the students, Pavao made Drama Club a comfortable place for everyone. During rehearsals, if someone was frustrated with not remembering lines or having a personal issue she showed every bit of concern and tried her best to support them. She always had so much to do on her plate but never gave up the effort to smile every minute of it. She had an inspiring mindset the entirety of the year and that will hopefully carry on for years to come.
