Many students think that the adults who work at Parkdale are just people who teach them. In fact, seeing a teacher or administrator outside the building, living regular lives is like seeing a dog walk on its hind legs.  We tend to forget that all of them have a life outside of school, so we reached out to the Parkdale staff to dive deep into their unknown, mysterious lives to ask questions you may have never thought to ask your teachers.  Check them out with a few accompanying photos below!

Q: Would you rather explore space or the ocean?

Chyvante’ Floyd; Professional School Counselor: Space because I can’t swim.

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab; IB Theory of Knowledge; IB EE Research Practicum: Space, because I don’t like swimming

Marsha Bastien; Professional School Counselor: I would like to visit both but not necessarily explore per se. Both locations are intimidating because of the ‘unknown” factor.

Annece Flood-Wright; Professional School Counselor: Ocean, if something goes wrong in space I’d hate to float off into the unknown. The ocean is less scary, but still terrifying! 

Marjorie Adebayo; Intro. to Digital Photography/Computer Graphics: I would love to explore the ocean. I am a cancer so I identify with water so much! I love the beach so much. I just think it’s so much to explore and just being out in the ocean seems peaceful. 

Linda Perez Alcover; English ESOL: Oceans! I am from a Caribbean Island and the first thing I wake up to  is the delicious smell of the ocean! The Ocean calls to me ,to take a dip in its warm waters and feel its fine sand on my feet! Funny that my astrological sign is pisces ,could be why I love the seas and Oceans so much! Plus the Oceans have only been discovered to a 5 % of its capacity and depth,it is mysterious and beckons all to explore ,through swimming or boating! If we are to believe Darwin’s theory that all creatures come from the ocean!Then we truly should stay on this beautiful Earth and explore the Oceans! (pictured right)

Jacob Kindschy; English/Yearbook: Ocean, that place is scary as heck. Like, go look up a “sheepshead” and enjoy the nightmares.

Barbara Rosenfeld; Academic Resource: Ocean- want to remain connected to the earth even if I am below sea level.

Whitney McDonald; American Sign Language: Both. I want to know more about both. The life forms and the various creatures.

Q: What’s your favorite cheesy pickup line?

Marsha Bastien; School Counselor: I don’t have one but I’ve heard this one a few times “Do you like raisins? How do you feel about a date.” CORNY!!

Leo Vadalà; Italian, Spanish: Care for some mozzarella?

Jennipha Gregory; Clinician: Pizza 

Wilbert Wright; English 12: Are your feet tired? You’ve been running through my mind all day.

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB EE Research Practicum: Kiss me, you fool.

Steven Minkin; Biology, BGCS: Are you from Tennessee?  Because you’re the only “10” I see….

Andy Marotta; English Lang Arts 10/English 10 Lab: Did it hurt when you fell from heaven? (Short as it is, I wouldn’t be able to say the whole line without cracking up, though.)

Q: Describe your perfect Saturday

Jacob Kindschy; English/Yearbook: A rainy day with my fiance, our two Bernese Mountain dogs and my cat fuzz, silently snoozing on the couch and enjoying the smell of petrichor. 

Garrett Tucker; 11th Grade Administrator: Family, friends, barbeque, and good music (pictured right).

Annece Flood-Wright; Professional School Counselor: Waking up to a clean house Saturday morning with all errands and chores complete! A good nap in the afternoon and then out to party or play in the evening!

Steven Minkin; Biology, BGCS: Nature hike, hacky sack, video games, cooking with wife, spending time with baby, watch TV at night with wife

Gillian Weinberg; English 10, World Lit PDP, IB Literature: My perfect Saturday would have warm weather, about 80 degrees with no clouds in the sky.  I sleep in and then walk to our local town pool with my husband and daughter.  We see all our friends, swim, relax, and eat lunch.  We walk home and the weather is still a perfect 80 degrees.  We all nap and then that night my husband and I go out for dinner, movies, or something like that 🙂

Leo Vadalà; Italian, Spanish: If I can sleep until I wake up on my own without an alarm clock, it is already a great day.

Brittni Guevara; Honors/PDP English 9: My perfect Saturday would be sleeping in, waking up to a perfectly-balanced iced coffee that doesn’t have TOO much almond milk and sweetener but also not too little, hanging out with fiance and my nieces for a few hours outside in a solid 76-degree weather day, and then coming home and binge watching movies over greasy pizza and wine 🙂 (pictured left)

Q: In high school were you the heartbreaker or heartbroken? 

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab; IB Theory of Knowledge; IB EE Research Practicum: I only dated girls from Eleanor Roosevelt, so that if we broke up, the drama stayed over there. (Broke that rule one time. Always regretted it.)

Steven Minkin; Biology, BGCS: A little bit of both I suppose…  🙂

Andy Marotta; English Lang Arts 10/English 10 Lab: I’ll never tell.

Whitney McDonald; American Sign Language: I was ugly lol NONE.

Jacob Kindschy; English/Yearbook: Both? I asked out every single girl in my grade in high school(true story). 

Chyvante’ Floyd; Professional School Counselor: Both

Gillian Weinberg; English 10, World Lit PDP, IB Literature: Heartbroken LOL- Lots of crushes in high school.

Q: What age would you want to go back and relive and why? 

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB EE Research Practicum: August 1989-July 1990. The Berlin wall fell, Mandela was freed, and I married my wife. Pretty hard combination to beat.

Steven Minkin; Biology, BGCS: College – it’s the time in life where people have the most free time 🙂

Andy Marotta; English Lang Arts 10/English 10 Lab: I would go back to age eight. It’s not because I liked being that age but because there were some relatives I could ask many questions before their passing. You can’t take back the last thing you ever say to someone, and you don’t get answers to questions you never ask.

Brittni Guevara; Honors/PDP English 9:I would go back and relive 22-24. Those were my prime years of being an adult but not REALLY an adult. I had graduated college already, so I didn’t have to worry about classwork, and I was long-term substitute teaching, but I didn’t have any bills to pay really, so I was living a very carefree, very little rules, very little responsibility life before real adulthood set in at 25.

Marjorie Adebayo; Intro. to Digital Photography/Computer Graphics: I’d want to go back to 18 and make the decision to go to community college first and then transfer cuz these student loans are no joke!!!!!

Melvin Twine; Ceramics 1 & 2: 16, my junior year in high school.  I was living in Germany  with no worries, great friends and family not far away.  I had so much to do while living in Germany and you do not  NEED a car to do them. 

Q: What’s the worst thing you did as a kid? 

Linda Perez Alcover; English ESOL: Riding out to a heavy transmitted road and falling off my bike

Melvin Twine; Ceramics 1 & 2: Stole a candy bar from a local store 12 years old.  My parents paid for it and had to apologize  to the store owner. I felt so bad that I did it and that my parents looked at me in a different way.

Judyann Sutherland; English 10: Nothing, I was a good kid, and I have an older sister that would just tell everything, So I was compelled to be good.

Roney Wynn; Administration, but was a Science Teacher: Marked up a new t.v. with a crayon as a toddler

Jennifer Johnson; Clinician: Skipping school 1 day

Henry Tarroza; Academic Resource Social Skills: Stealing and smoking a cigar

Q: What’s one thing you fuss at your kids/students about that you used to do? 

Ambrashae McGowan; English : One thing that I fuss at my students about that I used to do is procrastinate. 

Marsha Bastien; Professional School Counselor: Speaking up/Advocating for yourself.

Leo Vadalà; Italian, Spanish: Nothing.  I was a perfectly saintly student with a halo over my head… Not! (pictured left)

Jacob Kindschy; English/Yearbook: All of it? I was a total terror in high school. It’s also why my late policy was so lax until a few months ago. I was the student who would show up at the end of the year with a binder full of late work, hoping the teacher would grade it. I felt it was sorta hypocritical to ask different of my own students, but I’ve sorta realized I’ve been teaching my students my exact bad habits so we’re trying to fix that…

Brittni Guevara; Honors/PDP English 9: For sure procrastinating.  HOWEVER, my procrastination never ever failed me, and that’s what I tell my students all the time.  If you got it like that and can procrastinate and do quality work, then what can I really say? Let me be clear though: VERY few students got it like that.  One thing I did NOT do, though, that I fuss at my students about is the cell phone thing.  My generation really is the perfect balance between no technology and full technology in that we had cell phones but were not obsessed to the point where we literally couldn’t put them down.  It’s a really weird thing to see.

Judyann Sutherland; English 10: Talk when the teacher is talking- having side conversations with peers that’s not related to the class.

Marjorie Adebayo; Intro. to Digital Photography/Computer Graphics: Procrastinating!!!! I still catch myself doing it still but I am much better. I just want my students to get over it now before it limits them in the future.

Q: Favorite high school memory ?

Annece Flood-Wright; School Counselor:Spirit week with my friends! I went to Roosevelt and spirit week was so much fun! (pictured left)

Andy Marotta; English Lang Arts 10/English 10 Lab: My favorite high school memories were nighttime memories. I liked being in school plays so long as they weren’t musicals.

Marjorie Adebayo; Intro. to Digital Photography/Computer Graphics: I went to Suitland high school and gogo music plays a very big part in the DMV area. Just hearing your school’s song with the gogo drums was such a cool thing to hear every year around homecoming time.

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab; IB Theory of Knowledge; IB EE Research Practicum: I’m a PHS alum, class of 1987. This whole school is a memory lane for me.

Jennipha Gregory;  Clinician: Scoring 100 points in basketball and being acknowledged during the game (pictured right).

Garrett Tucker; 11th Grade Administrator: Graduation day and playing Riverdale Baptist in a baseball game. I hit a 3 run home to win the game in the bottom of the 7th inning.

Leo Vadalà; Italian, Spanish: Walking to my last class, when my path would often converge with a very pretty girl who actually denied talking to me. We eventually got married and we are still together.

Lydia Abreu; Art 1 & Intro to Digital Photo: Creating my own and my BFF’s 12th grade class schedules because the school failed to do it and the administration was too busy with new enrollments [so] they gave us the opportunity to do it ourselves.  We got out early everyday.

Gillian Weinberg; English 10, World Lit PDP, IB Literature: I’d say just lots of times laughing hysterically with my friends – in class, at play practice or other meetings or sports, going to the mall or the diner.

Jacob Kindschy; English/Yearbook: Winning 2nd place at a film convention in Chicago my freshman year. It was a stop motion Godzilla movie and it put me on the path to being a teacher AND a filmmaker in the exact same class.

Sloane Henderson; Health: On school spirit days, my high school would host a pep rally and me and my friends would wear class color togas and formally enter the gym as “The Royal Family”. (pictured left).

Brittni Guevara; Honors/PDP English 9: Probably just my friend group in general.  We were known as the “Fab 5,” but our group initially started off with the three of us girls from middle school who jokingly called ourselves “The Blastics” (like the Black version of The Plastics from the movie Mean Girls) one time and then people just ran with it. And we ran with it too because we ended up making a joint MySpace account where we called ourselves The bLaStiicSz (do not ask why we were typing like that in the mid-2000s).  The three of us would dress alike on any given day, and looking back on it, it was insanely corny but everyone (or maybe it was just us) thought it was cute and cool, so there’s that.  And 2000s fashion was not good whatsoever, but the memory of us as a little matching crew is definitely one of my favorites.

Henry Tarroza; Academic Resource Social Skills: Being named as the cutest boy in the class.

Q: Describe high school you.

Gillian Weinberg; English 10, World Lit PDP, IB Literature: I was SUPER involved. I went to a very small high school and graduated with about 60 students. I did the school play all 4 years, volleyball, track, student government, National Honor Society and more. Believe it or not I was a cheerleader in my junior and senior year too.

Garrett Tucker; 11th Grade Administrator: Played 3 sports in high school and was valedictorian of my senior class.

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab; IB Theory of Knowledge; IB EE Research Practicum: Muscular, fearless, creative, intelligent, and honestly way too sarcastic for anybody’s good.

Andy Marotta; English Lang Arts 10/English 10 Lab: I was confused, frustrated, caring, curious, annoying, and shy in unequal measure. Unfortunately, fitting in with many high school peers means that you have to hide those traits most of the time. Sometimes I wore a light-gray Members Only jacket and also a pair of glacier glasses. The glasses made riding a bike dangerous, so I stopped. My Sony Walkman was often in my pocket, and I had tiny in-ear headphones that my wild curly hair usually concealed. I was as attached to listening to my cassettes in those days as so many students today are to the music on their phones today.

Marjorie Adebayo; Intro. to Digital Photography/ Computer Graphics: Very artsy fartsy. I use to forget to take my painting apron off after class and would wear it all day. The performing arts program kept me busy so I was never in no boys faces or skipping. I was the swim team captain and I ran for prom queen so I was in the books but still kept a cool balance with my social life. I also look about the same in the face so that’s cute lol (pictured left).

Jacob Kindschy; English/Yearbook: Nerdy, awkward, wanting to be liked, trying to fit in, hating everything and loving nothing, the usual high schooler(and not much has changed, let’s be real).

Brittni Guevara; Honors/PDP English 9: High school me was a funny kid, if I think about her.  I wore heels to school everyday (or if I wasn’t feeling it, I’d wear sweats and slippers– there was no in between).  I was in all AP/honors classes, two levels ahead in math, the whole nine.  Aside from the academics, I was super social, really boy crazy, loved being around my friends, all that.  I wasn’t into sports really, but I found my niche my junior year when I joined journalism and then my newspaper class, which is why I take so much pride in our Paw Print newspaper!

Q: What historical time period would you have liked to live in and why? 

Andy Marotta; English Lang Arts 10/English 10 Lab: It would have to be a time when travel was cheapest. In the past there were more awful things to see, so I wouldn’t want to stay in any one place for very long.

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab; IB Theory of Knowledge; IB EE Research Practicum: I’m living in the right place and the right time for me, but I think it’d be interesting to visit Japan during the Warring States period (1300s-1500s) or Timbuktu at its peak (1300s).

Marjorie Adebayo; Intro. to Digital Photography/Computer Graphics: 1920’s-1930’s I am an Art teacher so I’d love to be in Harlem, New York around the time of the renaissance. 

Brittni Guevara; Honors/PDP English 9: I think the 1920-40s would be really fun, but it sucks because I’m a Black woman, so it would come with more dangers than good times, I’m sure.

Jacob Kindschy,;English/Yearbook: None? Go look at history. If you’re not a white guy, it’s tough to go back further than, like, 30 years. BEING a white guy, they don’t have video games past the 1980s. What’d they do before that? Read? How wild.

Wilbert Wright; English 12: The Civil Rights Movement. I like to get in good trouble.

Gillian Weinberg; English 10, World Lit PDP, IB Literature: 1960s and 1970s- I like the clothes and the music and what was going on around the world was fascinating as well.

Linda Perez Alcover; English ESOL: During the Tang Dynasty! Why? This is a time when the Chinese opened themselves to Art, religion, engineering inventions, women being more liberal and going to school!

Q: Would you rather win the lottery but have to quit teaching or continue teaching for the rest of your life and earn $1000 per day and why?

Jennifer Johnson; School Clinician: Continue teaching for the rest of my life because I want young kids to have a better life and future. I want them to learn a little about life before they get out of high school.

Henry Tarroza; Academic Resource Social Skills: win and quit, duh! What if I die tomorrow?

Jacob Kindschy; English/Yearbook: Teach for the rest of my life for 1000 a day, as it’d probably be easier to do charity and community work with that sort of income. That and being actually paid for the effort/time that’s put in would be kinda cool, as it would most likely mean all teachers are paid a fair wage finally.

Steven Minkin; Biology, BGCS: It depends how much the lottery winnings are…. If it is mega-millions, I would set up my own private laboratory and maybe even a school. I would continue to teach, but if I won a billion dollars, I would be teaching on my own terms 🙂

Marsha Bastien; Professional School Counselor: Is this a trick question, LOL

Judyann Sutherland; English 10: 1000 a day, teaching gives me an opportunity to smile, laugh and learn something new everyday. Then getting a 1,000 a day is not bad at all. (pictured right)

Brittni Guevara; Honors/PDP English 9: I would love to get $1,000 a day (that would be $180,000 a year!) and I really love teaching, but the one thing that turns me off from that option is the idea that I would have to work for the REST of my life.

Marjorie Adebayo; Intro. to Digital Photography/Computer Graphics: I’d keep teaching!! I love this job, as painful and tiring as it can get, I wouldn’t want to leave by will. I love the students, they’re all unique and need to be cared for. The relationships that I have grown over the three years here at PHS I am pretty sure I’ve made some type of difference for at least one student and I absolutely love that so much.

Sloane Henderson; Health: Win the lottery for at least $500M so I can focus on relaxation.

Whitney McDonald; American Sign Language: Do I get the Summers off still? lol but no, I’d take the lottery win!

Q: What did you want to be when you were younger? 

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab; IB Theory of Knowledge; IB EE Research Practicum: An evil genius who takes over the world. (I was a strange child.)

Steven Minkin; Biology, BGCS: Brain surgeon or a microbiologist

Lydia Abreu; Art 1 & Intro to Digital Photo: Advertisement Agent

Marjorie Adebayo; Intro. to Digital Photography/Computer Graphics: Astronaut

Barbara Rosenfeld; Academic Resource: A teacher- what a surprise.

Ambrashae McGowan; English: I wanted to be a neonatal surgeon.

Q: Outside of teaching, do you have a side hustle? 

Steven Minkin; Biology, BGCS: investing in the stock market

Marjorie Adebayo; Intro. to Digital Photography/Computer Graphics: I make and sell artwork on Etsy and Instagram. I am also a manager for one of the commission pools for PG County.

Roney Wynn; Administration, but was a Science Teacher: Yes, real estate.

Marsha Bastien; Professional School Counselor: My side hustle is pouring greatness into my three children. It’s a never ending job.

Sloane Henderson; Health: Event planning

Brittni Guevara; Honors/PDP English 9: Planning this wedding of mine is a full-time job that I should really turn into a side hustle.

Judyann Sutherland; English 10: Boutique- clothes hustle

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab; IB Theory of Knowledge; IB EE Research Practicum: I do some nonfiction writing here and there.

Andy Marotta; English Lang Arts 10/English 10 Lab: I work as a tutor in another county.

Q: Who’s the kindest person in school ?

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB EE Research Practicum: Dalisto Chinkhota.

Jacob Kindschy; English/Yearbook: I would argue…hmm…..there’s a few definite callouts here(English department is chock full of them) but I’d say Mr.Alturas. Hey young man!

Leo Vadalà; Italian, Spanish: Mr. Brandon Johnson

Garrett Tucker; 11th Grade Administrator: Ms. Gomez in the front office

Steven Minkin; Biology (and BGCS): Nashwa El-Sayed Zaied, besides ME of course… 🙂

Marjorie Adebayo; Intro. to Digital Photography/Computer Graphics: Ms. S. Henderson, Ms. K. WIlliams, and Ms. K. Howze are some of the kindest ladies in the building. I really appreciate the continued support and care that is provided to me, my days would literally be completely different without them.

Wilbert Wright; English 12: Mr. Adams

Ambrashae McGowan; English: Ms. Deal is the kindest person in the school.

Jennipha Gregory; School Clinician: Mr. Hall

Judyann Sutherland; English 10: Ms. Coleman/ She’s always willing to give.

Q: Would you rather give up coffee or water? 

Roney Wynn; Administration, but was a Science Teacher: Water- I know the importance of water, but the need for coffee especially in the morning to start my day is unreal.

Leo Vadalà; Italian; Spanish: I love coffee, but I don’t think I can live without water.

Annece Flood-Wright; School Counselor: Neither! How dare you make me choose! LOL

Eric Pavlat; ELA 10/Lab; IB Theory of Knowledge; IB EE Research Practicum: Water. Boring.

Andy Marotta; English Lang Arts 10/English 10 Lab: I’d give up coffee and cry.

Wilbert Wright; English 12: Coffee. Too much caffeine is not good for you.