The life of a teacher may seem boring to some people, but not our Earth Science teacher, Mrs. Penny Savoie.
Savoie wasn’t always a teacher, she had an amazing career as a professional dancer for eight years. After studying dance for 16 years in Tucson, she left to live her dream between the big cities – New York and Los Angeles.
Savoie mostly stayed in L.A. where she did dozens of commercials and stage shows. Some of the shows she was on include: Singing Showtime America (Live Theater); Kiss Me Kate (musical); her favorite, Minsky’s Follies (HBO); and The 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special (CBS) where she was one of Chewbacca’s cousins. The dances she performed was ballet, tap, and jazz – her favorite was jazz.
However, being a dancer wasn’t an easy career.The biggest challenge of being a dancer is that you have to audition to find work. “It was a hard job,” Savoie admitted. “You had to audition every time and there was a lot of rejection… But I enjoyed it. I liked performing.”
When asked about if she still danced, Savoie said she rarely does outside her home and occasional weddings. Dancing is like a pastime for her. Savoie had stopped dancing after she got married and had children. After her Aunt Lucille Ball (Lucy from the show I Love Lucy) died, she moved back to Tucson.
She went back to school and got her teaching degree in science. Before coming to Sahuaro, she worked as a Sabino High School monitor for 15 years. But now, she is our beloved Earth Science Teacher of six years and also an technician at Arizona-Sonora Museum. Her hobbies are hiking and mining (she has a mine claim). She is content with her life now. “I wouldn’t trade this for anything; my children are more important. I got to live my dream, that’s what is important,” she says.