Skyline is ecstatic to introduce a new staff member: English/Theater teacher and theater director Kristine Stephens!
“I always knew I wanted to be an actress,” Stephens says. “I went to school outside of Chicago because I knew I wanted to be a part of the theatre community in Chicago as a young adult. I graduated with a BFA in acting… from Northern Illinois University. I was an actress in Chicago, living the actress life and loving the city.”
After several years of being on stage, in the spotlight, she helped kids find the spotlight for themselves and realized how wonderful that actually was, helping kids.
“When I was teaching acting to students through an agency, I started realizing how fulfilling and how amazing it was,” says Stephens. “I was like, ‘You know what?’ I need to go back to school. I want to make a difference in students’ lives, specifically teenagers. So I did that.”
Stephens eventually decided to teach English, so she went up towards Detroit for her second schooling career. Stephens previously taught English and theater at West Bloomfield High School for four years and three years at Orchard Lake Middle School.
“When I went back to school, I got my masters at Wayne State University,” says Stephens. “At the time, there wasn’t a degree for theater education. I love reading and writing, and it was always my strong suit, so I decided to major in English secondary education.”
She was happy while she was teaching English but Stephens still wanted to dive deeper into the world of theater education, keeping her eyes open for opportunities to find what she was looking for.
“For a while I didn’t teach theater, I just taught English. Then I found a job at West Bloomfield [High School] for Theater and English. Once I did, I knew that was where I needed to be. Teaching English and Theater together is like a dream,” Stephens says. “Once I did, I knew that I could never go back to just English. I had found my calling!”
If you see her in the hallways, wave, and say hi. Welcome to Skyline, Mrs. Stephens.
