(upbeat music) - Hi, my name is Michelle Zebrowski and I'm a graduate of Susquehanna Community School District.

- Hi, my name is Shannon Marinari and I'm a graduate of Susquehanna Community School District.

- My name is Theresa Marino and I am basically the entire Performing Arts Department at Susquehanna Community High School.

I also do the elementary band program, so I'm grades four through twelve.

I do the Junior Senior High School Chorus as well.

Being a teacher is something I think I always knew I was going to be the question was, what was I going to teach.

For quite a while it was a toss up between music, history and English.

I love all three, but then looking at my teachers at my school, I decided the musicians were having more fun, so I went with music.

- I met Mrs. Marino when I first moved here eight years ago, my parents and I, and my sister, we were all getting a tour of the high school on a day that they're off, but all the teachers were there and we bumped into Mrs. Marino and they introduced her.

- Her older sister joined choir and then when Michelle joined into seventh grade, then she joined up at the choir too.

So, it wasn't as far back as it was with Shannon, but still, she was a student of mine for six years.

- I met Mrs. Marino in third grade through my older sister because she was a part of the Arts Department.

She always participated in plays and band and all that.

And I had mentioned wanting to play an instrument.

And so my sister got a day together where I could go see Mrs. Marino and figure out what instrument I wanted to play for the school.

- When she was old enough to join the band she did on flute.

- Well, I really wanna do professional theater for a living.

And when I told her that, she just, immediately she's like, okay, we need to do this, this and this.

- We live in a very, very small community.

And so it is important to me that my students see what's possible.

- Mrs. Marino is a super nice, super caring teacher.

She always wants to make her sure students are having a lot of fun.

- Mrs. Marino affected my life because she was able to open my eyes to see what I believe I was born to do, I love performing.

And if it wasn't for her taking me to go see a Broadway show, seven years, six, seven years ago, I honestly don't think I would have ever discovered what I wanted to do.

- Since Broadway, the Broadway trip opened up her mind to those possibilities and to a potential future for her.

She started learning, well, she started learning about it.

She started seeing shows and studying shows, and then that commitment just skyrocketed.

- Mrs. Marino has affected my life because she taught me how to be caring and kind to everyone.

Even if you don't necessarily care for the person, she's made me realize that I want to do something that I genuinely love in life because I can make it fun and I can make it seem like it's not a job.

My future plans are to go to Point Park University in Pittsburgh for Journalism and Creative Writing.

I want to be a historical journalist, which means I go to like small towns or battles or wars that have happened and just write the historical significance about them, doing whatever I love.

Mrs. Marino, I just wanna say thank you for everything you've done.

- Mrs. Marino, I just want to say thank you for everything you've done for me over the last couple of years.

If it wasn't for you, I would feel like I'm not talented, you made me feel like there's something in me.

- For the two of you, to both think of me in that same way, to both think of me as someone who is, has made a large impact on your life and then to be recognized for that, it stunned me, honestly, I've become kind of a second mom to many of my students and the two of you are no exception to that.

And the very cool thing about that is all of your parents have given me permission to talk to you as if I were one, so you better watch out.

- My future plans are to attend Castleton University in Castleton, Vermont, to major in Theater, Acting and Directing, I just wanna act, that's all I wanna do and hopefully make it to Broadway one day.

(upbeat music)