During an interview with Vaughn and de Marcellus, they reflected on their time at Branson and what they hope to leave behind. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

How long have you worked at Branson?

Vaughn: 30 years.

de Marcellus: This is my 24th year. I started in 2002.

What would you say a highlight of your work at Branson would be?

Vaughn: The highlight is always working with the students – watching them find their own aesthetic.

de Marcellus: I would say my biggest highlight was teaching Latin, in particular, I realized after a while that the way that Latin is traditionally taught is not effective…I began writing my own textbook to teach Latin in Latin, like the Spanish classes teach Spanish in Spanish…It was really rewarding to see students speaking Latin, writing it very well, and I had a couple of students who would even speak Latin to each other and just have fun learning it.

What are you going to miss the most?

Vaughn: Everything!

de Marcellus: There’s so much that I will miss. The main thing I will miss is my relationship with the students and the other teachers. It’s a really unique community. I’ve always appreciated the sense of mutual respect that teachers have for the students and the students have for the teachers. I feel like we’re all here working hard doing our best, and there’s also a sense of joy that the students bring all the time.

What is a favorite Branson memory?

Vaughn: There are so many. Having the alumni reach out over the past month has reminded me of a plethora of wonderful stories of watching students find their artistic voice and suddenly light up the entire stage.

de Marcellus: But it’s hard for me to talk about, because I think it’s so emotional. I really love how the students respond in support of each other. It was the spring of 2015, and the school, particularly Ms. Kneass and other leaders of QSA at the time, had done a lot of work that year defining what an ally is and the meaning of an ally and what that means. In that spring, there were a lot of students who got on stage and came out as non-straight. It was a huge risk and they were really vulnerable. They were very courageous; they didn’t know how students, how the school would react. And they just got this spontaneous standing ovation from all their peers, which meant so much to them at the time. But at the time, it felt like we had really made it. We’ve created such a safe community here at the school. 
And I was so proud of those students for their courage and of the students in the audience for their support and their celebration. That was really moving for me, I sort of still tear up.

What is something unexpected that you learned in your time at Branson?

Vaughn: So many things! I’ve learned to run lights. I’ve learned to navigate a number of different learning management systems. I have learned to use the computer to my best advantage. I have learned to sew costumes. I have learned to appreciate all the different ways in which each individual on our campus has something they are really good at and are so open to sharing

de Marcellus: I hadn’t taught in high school before coming here, and I had only worked with teenagers as an SAT tutor briefly. I guess the unexpected thing was that I really like high schoolers and teenagers. One of the things I really like about teenagers is that they can really tell when you’re being authentic. And if they say, like, ‘Atticus, what’s the origin of this word?’ If I don’t know it, I say I don’t know it. There might be teachers who would try to fake it or something and they [teenagers] know that immediately. So, I guess one thing that surprised me is both that deep connection with authenticity, that somehow we adults lose in college, and how important that was to me, discovering that aspect of adolescence.

If you could leave one message for the school community, what would it be?

Vaughn: One of the great privileges of being a member of the Branson community is being in dialogue with other people about issues that have affected our world and issues that currently affect our world. I think the most amazing thing is the way that we generate carefully considered and well thought through dialogue with each other about what it means to be in community and what it means to be human. My advice is not to take that dialogue for granted. Each person should cultivate and nurture that ability in themselves. I think it is the secret to a happy life, and it is the core of what every acting student does; practice being in dialogue with different thoughts, different characters, and with the other members of the acting program.

de Marcellus: The end of the honor code says, something like I will leave Branson having enriched it with my presence. And I believe firmly that everybody has the power to improve the school. My message would be to challenge everyone in the school to reflect as to how they can make it a better place, and have the courage to do that. I’ve seen again and again, students make a really big difference in the school. For instance, the solar panels on the gym were a student project. There are clubs and all these things that have been student ideas that have made it [Branson] a better place. And so my message is, keep doing that. To each student, how are you going to improve the school?