For Mrs. Varner, theater is more than just a job; it’s a passion, a family affair, and a lifelong journey. Starting in elementary school, Varner has always been a theater kid. She acted her way through junior high, high school, and a bit of college. She has performed in a total of 27 shows. After she moved up here into the mountains, she joined the Golden Chain Theater, where she was in a production of Harvey. “I played Harvey’s crazy sister Veta, my daughter played my daughter in the show, and my father played the lawyer, so three generations in the show—that was pretty cool,” she shares.
Mrs. Varner has been a drama teacher for 7 years. Before Minarets High School, she was Chawanakee Academy’s Drama Enrichment Teacher, and before that, she was in charge of Destination Imagination and Townshow at Spring Valley. She has greatly enjoyed her experience at Minarets so far, saying that this last winter’s play, A Christmas Carol, has been her favorite directing experience of all time. “I think it’s the students—just such a great group of seniors who really welcomed me into the position, and they didn’t necessarily have to because they had been in theater for a while, and having a newcomer on board isn’t always easy. There was a big welcoming from that group, and it has truly, truly been an amazing year because of them.”
Mrs. Varner has shown us that you don’t need to have tenure to make a difference at Minarets. She has become a very special and integral part of the Performing Arts program. Thank you for all you do, Mrs. Varner!
Written by Maximus Porter
Edited by Maximus Porter and Josephina Emerson
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