This year, Cartersville High School has the distinct pleasure of welcoming a new theater teacher, Mrs. Dianna Long. Mrs. Long grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where her love for the arts was first formed when she took  violin lessons. Thanks in large part to that early introduction to stringed instruments, she now believes “music makes everything better.”  Following that introduction, her love in all things performance-related grew. Long explains she loves “the whole process of putting together a play… and watching the actors on the stage.”

No surprise, her vision for the theater department is more on the musical sides of things. She wants to do more in the class for the kids who may usually not be interested in theater and believes music is a great common denominator.

Interestingly, Mrs. Long didn’t always want to be a theater teacher; however, she did know she always wanted to be a teacher. Her first career path was music (of course!), then English, and finally, dramatic arts. The love of reading and retelling of stories that is acting, plus the musical side of theater was her dream come true. “It kind of all fell into place.”