After five years on the job, Goochland High School’s first full-time drama teacher Hunter Parker is going back to school to get her masters degree.

“I’m definitely sad about leaving,” said Parker last week, just days before departing on a People to People trip to the British Isles.

“I put my heart and soul into the program.”

Parker will start work on her Master of Fine Arts degree in theater at the University of Georgia this fall.

“I don’t know where it will lead me, but if I don’t do it now I might never do it,” she said.

The degree program will take three years of full time study. Parker will have a research assistantship too.

Gemma Smith will take over the flourishing drama program that Parker leaves behind.

Several of Parker’s students praised her leadership.

2007 graduate Dee Sims said Parker could be a hard taskmaster.

“She pushes you to be someone. It was definitely good for me,” said Sims.

She said acting in the Parker directed “Seussical” at GHS led to her involvement in the Christian Youth Theater (CYT), and that led her to Theatre IV.

During her five years at GHS, Parker wasted no time. Besides developing a curriculum for five levels of acting classes, she created a Drama Boosters Club, founded the GHS chapter of the International Thespian Society and created and maintained a drama club web site.

Robin Ellis, Drama Boosters Club president, said Parker would be missed.

“We’re extremely sorry to see her go,” said Ellis. “She was such an asset to the school and the community.’

Ellis said Parker helped bring more of a balance to GHS extracurricular activities.

“Sometimes sports overshadows other activities,” she explained. “Hunter provided an outlet for other kids to shine.”

“If it weren’t for her I wouldn’t have been involved in drama,” said Robin’s son, Daniel Ellis. “ There’s something about her. She would critique you but also give praise.”

Rising sophomore Emily Satterwhite said Parker showed confidence in her when she was just starting out by giving her a lead role in “Seussical.”

Satterwhite was one of several GHS drama students with active summers in the theater. She appeared in CYT’s production of “Alice in Wonderland” and also “Les Miserables” at the Steward School.

Cabell Neterer, 2008 GHS graduate, had a cameo role in “As You Like It” performed at Agecroft Hall in July.

Sims toured with Theatre IV in 2008, playing the roles of Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks in “I Have a Dream.”

A number of Parker’s former students are now working on degrees in theater in college, Meghann Garmany (2005) at Virginia Tech, Deejay Gray (2006) at Radford University, Cathleen Connor(2007) also at Radford and Timothy Schwartz(2008) at Christopher Newport University.

“Leaving the program behind is bittersweet,” said Parker, who said she will treasure the quilt her drama students gave her at the end of the year.

“I am so proud of my drama students and I know they will continue to do great things and build an even more outstanding drama program,” said Parker.

Contributed Photo
Dee Sims (left) and Audrey Tillack in the 2005 production of “The Sound of Music.”

Contributed Photo
Parker said she will always treasure this quilt, which her students gave to her at the end of the year.