By Lana Hy
Staff Writer
After 22 years as Gabrielino High School’s drama advisor, Jan Gluskin will be retiring in order to pursue her dream of forming her own theatre troupe. Gluskin started the drama program at Gabrielino in 1997 and will be saying farewell at the end of the school year.
“I look forward to coming to work every day,” stated Gluskin. “It’s fun, and I have the best job anyone has ever had in the world.”
One of Gluskin’s biggest accomplishments at Gabrielino is receiving an award from the state assembly in January for being the first high school in Southern California to showcase “Bang Bang, You’re Dead.¨
“Jan always encourages us to step out of our comfort zones,” said “Bang Bang, You’re Dead” cast member, Hoang Nguyen, sophomore. “It’s something I am going to miss about her.”
In addition, Gabrielino was the first high school to showcase ¨Dead Man Walking,¨ and Gluskin notes that she will never forget when Tim Robbins, the director of ¨Dead Man Walking,¨ flew to campus from New Orleans to watch the drama department perform in 2003.
Another of her fondest memories is when she went to a Jewish temple to put on ¨I Never Saw Another Butterfly,” a play about Jewish children living in concentration camps. Gluskin remembers how she successfully encouraged one of her students to play the lead role even though that student felt discouraged, due to her race.
She also loved how the audience came to hug the cast after they performed ¨I Never Saw Another Butterfly¨ and remembers how emotional she felt when people said they were glad the drama department showcased this play, becuase they had grandparents that died at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Being able to express her creative side made Gluskin’s job more enjoyable. She is grateful for the input that students gave during her first years of teaching because it has helped her become a better teacher.
During her retirement, she plans to keep writing original plays and has plans to teach at one of her alumni’s theater school in Alhambra. Although Gluskin is retiring from her job as a teacher, that does not stop her from continuing to teach because teaching will always be a part of who she is.
“Jan taught me to have faith in myself,” said Sarah Cheang, sophomore. “She always made sincere efforts to help others and strived to see us do our best.”
