It is one month into the school year and teacher Sarah Cline is prepared to have a great year. She offers backstory and some advice to those who aspire to be in the performing arts.

Q: What classes do you teach?

A: “I teach the theatre class, so that's Theatre 1, 2, 3, Stagecraft 1, 2, Playwriting, Costume Construction, Public Speaking. And this year I get to teach Adult Life Skills,” Cline said.

Q: When did you come to Badin?

A: “I started at Badin in the 17-18 school year,” Cline said.

Q: What is your favorite part about Badin and why did you decide to teach performing arts?

A: “I am from a long line of teachers, I mean generations of teachers. I decided I was going to do something different, so I went into Theatre. I went to NKU and UNLV. Once I was married, my husband also does theatre, we decided that we both couldn't do theatre in Las Vegas and support a family, so I went back to school for education. I went into Elementary Education and got my Masters of Education in Gifted and Talented Education. I worked for a ballet company as a Stage Manager that worked with children as young as 2,” Cline said. “We would put on full ballets, that was probably the start of my teaching performing arts. When I met Mrs. McCormick, a former music teacher, at Badin and I helped her with the concessions. We got to talking about theatre and teaching- as arts people do, and she asked for my resume. Teaching at Badin was a joining of those 2 passions into one job.”

Q: What is your favorite part about the drama program?

A: “First, the actors. I enjoy working with people who enjoy what they are doing. I'd like to think we all learn while doing a show. The actors bring a bit of newnest to shows and perspective,” Cline said. “Second, we get to try new things. We have wagons for set changes, painted drops, and changed the stage into a comic strip in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown." And now we have built a turntable so we can have two train cars and a restaurant on stage at a time! We have had large casts and small casts.”

Q: Who is your favorite performer on stage?

A: “Oh, to choose just one is like asking a teacher for their favorite student, or your parent who their favorite child is. You can't. They all have uniqueness that are just them. Something that they bring that no one else can. To choose would not be right,” Cline said.

Q: How do students get hands-on experience for the real world in your classes?

A: “Theatre is a blending of all the content areas. Hopefully we bring all the content areas into every class. They learn how to build, fix things, learn about tools in stagecraft. They learn confidence and speaking, and the art of performing in theatre,” Cline said. “Costumes teaches hand sewing and machine sewing, reading patterns and creating something from what looks like nothing. Public speaking. teaches confidence, and different types of speeches that are common in college and jobs.”

Q: If you had to choose any of your classes, what is your favorite to teach, and why?

A: “I think the students play a big part in whether a class is fun to teach. I like teaching the theatre 2- it is more doing and putting into practice what we learned in Theatre 1. But really, it is the students that make the class what it is. And in theatre- because of that, no 2 classes are ever the same,” Cline said.

Q: “Is there something you want all of your students to know?

A: “I guess I want all my students to know that the theater is a safe place, to try things to take risk. That the best way to grow is to push yourself and to try new things. I have complete confidence in all my students that they can do whatever they want. I know that sounds cliché,” Cline said.

Q: Do you have any advice for those who want to be performers?

A: “Get out an audition, find every opportunity to perform. This is your practice. No role is too small, learn from it, be the best at it and grow because of it. Realize we are all learning,” Cline said.

Senior Eva Groh, one of Cline’s students, spoke on how Cline is as a teacher.

“I like how Mrs. Cline is easy to talk to and doesn't try to act better than her students,” Groh said. “She is so nice and very different from all the teachers at Badin”