There has long been a battle over the role of the arts in education. But at Brookville High, the arts have emerged victorious.
Much of that success is thanks to our January Education Impact Award recipient, Megan Emanuel.
The last thing a high school teacher needs in their classroom is drama, unless they’re teaching it.
After two years of building and running the Brookville Theatre Department, Megan Emanuel has become the driving force behind one of the flagship programs at Brookville High.
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Principal Christine White said, “She has fought really hard for the theater program in the arts program because she knows how important it is to our kids and to this community. This is like the showcase of our school. That’s why it’s so important for these renovations to be amazing because our community is going to come and see all these great plays that she puts on. She takes kids who have never been a part of theater and gets them center stage doing big parts that you wouldn’t have thought that child could do. She believes in every kid to do something amazing like that.”
Emanuel shared, “I think just the growth that each student has, and I tell them don’t look around, focus on yourself and your growth. Your path is going to look different from everyone else’s path, so just focus on yourself, be the best that you can be. Obviously, buy into the community, but we try to have no level of competing with one another, just focusing on ourselves.”
A 1997 graduate of Brookville High, Emanuel returned to build the program from the ground up. She starts students early with camps for elementary and middle schoolers that both inspire future actors and help fund the program.
From the Miss Brookville scholarship and service program to the defending state champion VHSL Class 3 speech team, the Bees are reaping the fruits of Emanuel’s labor.
Emanuel said, “I strive for excellence in everything we do. We don’t accept just the bare minimum. We’re going to work really hard and get to the level. I’m going to push them to be the very best that they can be, and then we’ve started to see the fruits of that labor.”
Blue Eagle Credit Union Senior Brand Specialist Laurissa Thompson said, “To embrace the arts like this and obviously, not only does she have a passion for it, but it’s impacted her students. She had nearly 40 nominations, and that says a lot about the program and the influence she’s had not only in theater itself but in the community.”
Emanuel and Brookville High both receive $250 as a reward for their efforts. Emanuel calls her long-standing work to build the department into an area power a family affair. She says her husband, Michael, has built every set over the 19 years she’s been putting on musicals and plays.