“I think it is very important that children learn how to be in front of other people, and to present their truth,” says Middle School Performing Arts teacher Emily Yosmanovich as she explains the way self-expression and stage presence help children grow in self-assurance, competence, and leadership.  Mrs. Yosmanovich cannot remember a time when she was not involved with dance, music, and theater.  A graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where she earned a B.F.A. with honors, she has performed, directed, and designed for theater over more than two decades in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia. Her focus on youth and education led her to earning an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from George Mason University, teaching elementary school in FCPS, and most recently serving of Trinity Preschool of McLean.

Playing many roles on and off the stage comes naturally to Mrs. Yosmanovich, who says that her acting experience helps her to be receptive to her students, and stage management experience has come in handy in unexpected ways, like orchestrating space logistics as a teacher and administrator.  In each endeavor, some of her strongest traits have included the recognition of the special qualities in each person and of the good that results from interpersonal connectedness.  At Green Hedges she is known as a past parent, gifted volunteer with Middle School’s theater productions, and now a member of the faculty.  “I think the goal is having students own themselves more as they grow, to recognize their uniqueness and to develop their strengths,” she says, adding, “I had teachers who recognized good things about me, and I had a chance to excel.  I’m passionate about passing that along.”