Good Ole’ South Dakota

Mrs. Reed is not an Okie as many of her students may have assumed. She grew up in Rapid City Hills, South Dakota, and went to Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota.

“It’s just a beautiful country, there’s clear water, clear streams, crisp cool air, every time I go home I wonder how I left it,” Mrs. Reed said.

South Dakota is a happy place to her, and it will always be a place of comfort. It is also the place where her love for theater and performing bloomed. Dancing on tables and singing at the bar with Mount Rushmore in the background, Mrs. Reed was a member of the Ragtime Ricky and the Deadwood Dolls in Deadwood, South Dakota. The theater holds many memories for Reed such as it allowed her to express her creativity and emotion to others.

“I was in a lot of theater productions in college, and very close to my college is the town of Deadwood, South Dakota. During the summertime back then, it was full of tourist attractions, and some of my theater friends and I were a part of a group called Ragtime Ricky and the Deadwood Dolls. We would do old-style family-friendly saloon dances for the tourists,” Mrs. Reed said.

On Air

Mrs. Reed has had many interesting jobs throughout her life. Switching gears in college, she had a stint as a radio show host for her college’s country station in the early ‘90s. She was able to meet many up-and-coming country artists. She never thought at the time she was in the presence of future celebrities and would be a part of their start.

“I was fortunate to meet Martina McBride when she was just starting and visiting different radio stations with her husband as well as Garth Brooks when he started his first big tour, ” Mrs. Reed said.

Hole-in-One

If you did not know already, Mrs. Reed is the Assistant Girls Golf Coach. The sport is nothing new to her and something she has done her whole life. Even though golf started as just a hobby for Mrs. Reed, her skills are anything but amateur. Mrs. Reed was able to score a hole-in-one at just 12 years old, and her best 18-hole score is 78.

“I’ve always loved golf because it was a family thing we did growing up. It’s a great way to be outside, leave the laundry behind, the phone behind, just get outside and enjoy yourself with some company,” Mrs. Reed said.

AP English Language and Shenanigans

Reed is no rookie when it comes to teaching AP English Language & Composition (AP Lang). She is one of the OG’s of AP Lang, teaching it first when it was introduced to Westmoore. Her many years of experience has brought plenty of funny stories. She also comes from a family of teachers, so teaching mishaps are no surprise to her.

“One day around Christmas time, I was taking attendance and I called out one of my students’ names, but I got no response. I thought I had seen him earlier in the day, but thought nothing of it. As I was walking around the room teaching, I walked past the mini Christmas tree in my room. All of a sudden I feel a hand grab my ankle! He was curled up under the tree the whole time,” Reed said.

AP Lang has a reputation for being boring or rigorous, but with Mrs. Reed’s unique flair and the energy she brings to class her students are able to express themselves and have fun.

“She tries to keep it lighthearted, real, and fun. It’s not stressful,” junior Whitney Pino said.