![Seniors Abigayle Dorrance, Sophie Reidt and choreographer Joe Milliano rehearse a tap routine to go along with the song "Toledo Surprise" from “Drowsy Chaperone."
Milliano assisted with auditions and choreography in preparation for the musical. “[The actors] don't have the tap experience but everyone that's working in the musical has a 'can-do' attitude of 'if I work hard at this and I practice I know I can make this happen.' That's what makes it so much fun. And I know that with the hard work that the students are putting in that we will get a great end result as a result of that,” Milliano said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Milano-900x548.jpg)
Down the science hallway in room 1408, the new AP Physics 1 and 2 teacher Joe Milliano also assists the theatre department as the resident tap choreographer.
Milliano has a hobby that sets him apart from other teachers: he tap dances.
“I’ve been [tap dancing] since first grade. The summer before I started, I went to the Muny and saw “Singing in the Rain.” I saw them doing their tap dancing stuff and [I was] like, ‘hey, that looks pretty fun’ so my mom signed me up for some classes and I just kept going. Ever since, I [have] absolutely loved it,” Milliano said.
Milliano is assisting the theatre department in the upcoming production of the “Drowsy Chaperone” alongside head of choreography Patrick Mooney and director Amie Gossett.
“Considering that tap dancing is not my forté, I appreciate working with someone else who has my same dance mindset and aesthetic. I also love that our math and physics brains are doing something so artistic as to come up with the visual choreography for the musical,” Mooney said.
Resident tap expert Joe Milliano prepares an audition dance for actors in the “Drowsy Chaperone.”
Between teaching physics and choreographing the “Drowsy Chaperone,” Milliano also teaches at the L.A. Dance Center in Florissant, Mo.
“It’s mostly a hobby [and] it’s a combo of a hobby and a side hustle of getting a little bit of extra money because I’m living that teacher life,” Miliano said. “It’s mostly for fun [because] it’s a way to keep me involved in the dance world and also get [the opportunity] to pass it on to younger people and I have a really good time while I do it.”
Milliano enjoys working with people to drive the community forward.
“I’m also a very science, math and brain type of person and I was really good at those,” Milliano said. “I thought about going into some careers where I could use those skills and earn a lot more money, but when I did some internships in college, I found that the day to day work on what I was doing was just draining me. It was soul-sucking and two hours felt like it took 10 hours to pass. Whereas when I’m teaching, I blink and it’s 2:30 p.m. [The] day is already over. So, I get to combine my math and science skills [with] my desire to build community in this job.”
![Junior TJ Polack plays his saxophone solo at halftime for the 2024 marching band show, ‘Coloring Book.’ This year, Polack was one of two soloists in the marching band. “[Polack] is very hard on himself. [His saxophone solo] sounds amazing [and] everyone [cheers] for him; [still], somehow, he thinks it’s a bad performance and he's down. What he does is not easy. It takes a lot of confidence as a person [and] a lot of musical skill to be expressive, and he's doing an amazing job,” drum major and senior Dominic Perez said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/462488499_2973926416100522_5057718068659607183_n-1200x925.jpg)
![Sophomore Isaiah Meese smiles after his Eagle Scout Ceremony. Meese has participated in the scouting program since first grade, learning new aspects of life and growing a community of a second family. “I almost didn’t do [boy scouting], but I'm glad I eventually did start doing it. I regret that I wasn't [working towards Eagle Scout during COVID]. It might not always seem like the most rewarding thing, but if you put your time into it, there's a good chance you'll get quite a lot out of it: friends, new activities and hobbies, or just more experience,” Meese said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_1004-1200x800.jpg)
![Junior Justin Lutz arranges his collection of basketball sports cards. Lutz started his first hand at entrepreneurship with an online store on eBay, dealing and trading in the sports card market. “I was already collecting sports cards [before], so I knew a lot of these players and I understood the market. I ventured into other sports, but I really stayed with the ones that I knew the most, [like] basketball. It’s really important to focus on what you know because it's so much easier than starting completely from scratch in a market that you don't understand. Find something that you're interested in," Lutz said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Untitled-design-2.png)
![Standing in front of the American Sign Language program’s mural, junior Brooke Hoenecke signs with freshman Darren Young. Hoenecke began cadet teaching for ASL this year alongside working towards earning her seal of biliteracy. “I was in ASL class when I received the email [that I qualified for the seal]. I was jumping up and down with my teacher and the rest of the class. One of the reasons why I took cadet teaching this year was so that I could prepare for the Seal of Biliteracy and be immersed in ASL,” Hoenecke said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/hoenecke.jpeg)
![With a keen eye for detail, senior Natalie Lashly writes her signature onto the senior hand wall. After some encouragement from her friends, Lashly applied to make the hand wall with her Lorax-inspired design. "I thought the [bright] colors would be fun. Our quote on the wall is 'Let us grow,’ based on the 'Let it grow' song [from the movie]. [I was hoping that the design would] make the cafeteria feel more exciting," Lashly said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0099-1200x801.jpg)
![Walking onto the field, freshman Erastus Adewusi wears a pink jersey in remembrance of cancer awareness month. With the number seven on his jersey, Adewusi reflects on his life in Nigeria before moving to America. “I [used to wake up] at 5:30 a.m. and school would end at 5 p.m. [versus] now,” Adewusi said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0029-1200x800.jpg)
