Ms. Samantha Lockwood is the new drama teacher here at ERHS, replacing Mr. Mannino after his abrupt departure in January. Although Ms. Lockwood grew up in Montgomery County for the majority of her life, she lived the first five years of her life in the Middle Eastern countries of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Ms. Lockwood did all sorts of tutoring before she began teaching high school, including SAT and ACT tutoring. One of the biggest differences between tutoring and teaching high school that Ms. Lockwood pointed out is that she has to deal with “so many levels and so many students at the same time.” “I love guiding people into finding their own inspiration and am very proud when they start to come out from a shell or show a vulnerable side,” Ms. Lockwood stated as one of her motivations for becoming a teacher.

Ms. Lockwood said she has been interested in drama for as long as she can remember. “I always wanted to have many different professions and I imagined being each for short periods, like in a film or show.”

Even though Ms. Lockwood has always been interested in drama, she is also very into science and math. She proudly wears the mantle of being an “all around nerd,” as she originally double majored in theater and physics at New York University, eventually dropping physics because of the amount of time it would take to complete her degree.

Drama student and senior Maeve Kelley Baker seems happy with Ms. Lockwood’s teaching so far, commenting on how inclusive her teaching is. “She’s very respectful towards everyone, knows how to relate to students. and does so much to make sure we understand the subject and appreciate theater,” Baker stated about Ms. Lockwood.

Senior Heather Babin said she thinks Ms. Lockwood is a “spotlight on the dDrama department” and is happy to be in her class.