Cooper Graduate Inspires Love of Theater
Marley Ritchie is giving students their first taste of theater at Sandburg Middle School. She graduated just two years ago from Cooper High School, where she was also involved with theater under the direction of Gretchen Wurzer-Palm.
Creating Theater at Sandburg
Marley Ritchie worked with Sandburg students to create a production of “Schoolhouse Rock.” She’s giving him the basics of lingo and etiquette and hoping to inspire a love of theater along the way.
“Me teaching the kids what downstage is is just a cool honor,” said Ritchie.
Ritchie graduated from Cooper High School in 2017. She credits her love of theater to an instructor she had at Cooper High School named Gretchen Wurzer-Palm.
“I’m so proud to see what she’s decided to do,” said Wurzer-Palm. “She graduated from high school wanting to be an actress. That’s what she wanted to do and I still think that she has a certain amount of that still in her.”
Ritchie still reaches out to Wurzer-Palm for ideas and thinking through challenges.
“She came to me today because she needed something,” explained Wurzer-Palm. “I’m who she comes to and I love that. It’s so gratifying.”
“She just helps me find my way,” said Ritchie.
Ritchie even uses some of the same phrases and teaching tactics that she learned from Wurzer-Palm. Like her mentor, she’s excited to see what’s next for her young students.
“I’m really excited to see a lot of these kids go to high school and then I get to watch them,” said Ritchie.
Cooper High School
