As Central Florida children head back to school soon, the News 6 talent shared what their school experiences were like.
They discussed back-to-school memories, teachers who impacted their lives as well as what they wanted to be when they grew up.
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There are some fun answers. Several people wanted to be Oprah and while that didn’t happen they definitely made it into a similar line of work.
They also shared some school photos and we want to put you to the test. See how well you do at picking out the News 6 talent as young children. Take the quiz.
What are your back-to-school memories that stand out?
Matt Austin: I remember being so nervous for the first day of school. I was a shy kid and the thought of classrooms filled with new people terrified me when it should have excited me.
Merris Badcock: My sisters and I had pet geese named Ben Afflack (our white goose) and Grey (our grey goose…very creative) who would make us late for school several times a week because they would chase us around the car trying to peck us to death. You’d be so busy trying not to get bit by a goose that it would take a solid five minutes before all three of us had an opening (and the courage) to open the car doors and jump in. It became such a frequent occurrence, that the gal who worked the front desk, Miss Heather, started writing “geese” as a legitimate excuse on our late slips. She even framed one as a memento for our family when my sister Ellery graduated.
Louis Bolden: My favorite part about going back to school was the chance to show off all the new outfits my parents had bought me for the start of the school year. I took great pleasure in putting outfits together. I suppose I should have been just as excited about my new school supplies, but nah.
Troy Bridges: I will never ever forget my mom waking me up on the first day of school EVERY year, as she sang the very old and very annoying song which she grew up hearing and it goes like, “School days, school days, dear ‘ol golden rule days… reading and writing and arithmetic…” It goes without saying that I adore my mother, but I hated that song! Still, it was a family tradition.
Amanda Castro: I always loved shopping for school supplies. It was so much fun going to the store with my mom and my sister — picking out notebooks, folders and a trapper keeper. Then going home to organize everything and get ready for the first day. That was my favorite part of the new school year!
Ezzy Castro: I remember always being anxious the night before the first day of school. I was too excited! I was always looking forward to using all my new supplies. (I still have an obsession with crayons.)
Kirstin O’Connor: Many of my memories going back to school were being “the new kid!” I moved around quite a bit in elementary school and felt lucky to make friends along the way.
Molly Reed: Throughout elementary school, we moved several times and every couple of years I would switch schools. Although it was tough to make new friends at first, I now have friends all over the state of Florida!
Treasure Roberts: I always looked forward to getting new uniforms and schools supplies before heading back to school. It was exciting. The new school year always felt like a new start.
Erik Sandoval: Oh, man! I remember the butterflies in my stomach before I stepped out to the bus stop on the first day of school. My new pants were spot on, my shirt was styling, I felt like a million bucks. Looking back, I now realize I was a 10-year-old in corduroy pants and a terry cloth polo shirt, but at the time, I thought it was high fashion.
Jamie Seh: Gosh, back to school feels so long ago! I can’t remember any specific memories, but I do recollect the sadness of summer being over, the dread of months’ worth of homework, but the excitement of a new and different year and to see my school friends again.
Trooper Steve: Not having a clue what the future had to bring was a great feeling.
Brianna Volz: When I think of back-to-school memories, I think of shopping for supplies with my mom and sisters, planning that first-day-of-school outfit and waiting for the moment I got my schedule in high school so I could compare with my friends to see who was in my classes.
Erik von Ancken: I thought my school year was ruined when I found out I had to ride the bus with the same bully who had been a “PITA” the previous school year. On the first day of seventh grade, riding the bus home, he started in again, making fun of my clothes, trying to punch me in the arm, and gang up on me with his buddies. I couldn’t stand it, knowing this was what I was in for every single afternoon for the rest of my seventh-grade year. I got so mad that I did the only thing I could think of: just as I approached my stop, I grabbed the strip of duct tape off the seat in front of me that was covering up a large rip, stood up over the bully’s seat and placed the tape on his head, and pressed the tape down hard into his hair, and then, of course, I ran off the bus! Hours later, the phone rang in my house and my dad answered. I listened curiously: “Tape in his hair?? He’s still crying because you tried to peel it off?? You had to shave his head??” I laughed. My dad did too (I had already told him the story). He calmly spoke into the phone, “What goes around, comes around,” and hung up. In that moment, my seventh-grade year improved tremendously. The bully never bothered me again.
Justin Warmoth: I’ll always remember back-to-school shopping with my mom. There was nothing better than getting some new Tracy McGrady basketball shoes (against my mother’s will) and an American Eagle graphic t-shirt to start a new school year.
Nicky Zizaza: My most memorable back-to-school moment was our annual back-to-school shopping, especially all of my matching bright pink Lisa Frank items.
Do you have a favorite teacher that you remember having a big impact on you?
Matt Austin: My all-time favorite teacher was Mr. Whalen! He taught TV production in high school. He was the first person to say I could be in TV news. He’s also a great man and friend. In fact, when I got married, he was one of my groomsmen!
Merris Badcock: Mrs. Brekke was the best first-grade teacher. I still get excited when she likes my work posts on Facebook! Also, shoutout to my fourth-grade teacher Ms. Crum who nourished my love for science. I still remember our trip to Sea World! And Mr. Hughes who, through drama classes and acting, helped me find self-confidence when I was young, impressionable and uber-sensitive about everything.
Louis Bolden: Dr. Jones from my high school in Memphis once said to our class, “Don’t ever worry about someone stealing your ideas, because where the well is you can go and dip.” I don’t know why that always stuck with me, but it did.
Julie Broughton: Throughout my school career, a few teachers were very pivotal. My fourth-grade teacher was Mr. Jerry Knear. I remember being so nervous to have a male teacher because up until that point, all of my previous teachers were female. Mr. Knear really helped me embrace my love of writing and language. When I was in his classroom, his encouragement and guidance made me believe I could become anything. If you tune into my Facebook Lives, sometimes he pops in to say hello and it always makes me so happy to hear from him. Another teacher I always remember fondly is my eighth-grade language arts teacher, Mrs. Betty Metzger. After taking personality and aptitude tests in her class, she commented that someone with my skills could make a great news anchor. Mrs. Metzger arranged for me to job shadow a news anchor in Louisville, and as they say, the rest is history. After I landed my first on-air job in West Virginia, I wrote to Mrs. Metzger, thanking her for helping me achieve my goals.
Troy Campbell: I started a new school when I was in the second grade. I remember crying almost the entire day, anxious and saddened by the change. Luckily, I was placed in Ms. Josephs’s class. Ms. Josephs was a first-year teacher, just out of college. I had moved from a school where I was placed in a smaller group setting when it was time for anything related to reading. It was just myself and about five other kids, all who struggled to read. Before meeting Ms. Josephs, my young self started to accept that reading and writing may not be in the cards for me. Everything changed when I entered Ms. Josephs’s classroom. I remember her sitting next to me, in a classroom of 20 other kids. She went through every reading question with me and was diligent that I got the education she felt I was capable of, while also tending to the other students. By year’s end, I no longer needed assistance with reading or writing. Well, fast-forward some 25 years later, and let’s just say I read faster than most, and I write for a living. It’s admirable to reflect it was a young, first-year teacher, just out of college that stepped in at such a pivotal moment in my life. I’m very blessed to have had such great educations throughout the years.
Carolina Cardona: My sixth-grade social studies teacher in Colombia, Aydee Salazar, was always kind. She was always the sweetest. We keep in touch via Facebook all these years later.
Amanda Castro: My favorite teacher growing up was Mrs. Young, my TV production teacher from Berkley Elementary in Polk County. I was in fifth grade when the school first opened, and I auditioned to join the morning announcements team. I was selected to co-anchor and every day after school we put the show together to air the next morning. Mrs. Young was always so supportive of our ideas and encouraged us to do our best. She was the one who introduced me to broadcast journalism and is the reason why I became a journalist!
Mike Holfeld: My sixth grade English teacher Kay Geuting influenced my style of creative writing. She was without question one of the finest teachers I ever had. I never imagined I would be writing stories that focused on politics, crime or unemployment but the thought process is the same. As you continue through life you learn you are the total sum of all your experiences. Mrs. Kay Geuting was a special part of that journey.
Mark Lehman: I’d say my favorite teacher was my high school band teacher Mr. Dahlberg. His passion for music made every day fun. Friday night football games were always a good time in marching band. Lots of great memories!
Crystal Moyer: The teacher that has had the biggest impact on my life is Mrs. Leslie Shinault from Rockledge High School. She was my English teacher and always connected with her students, trying to teach us in a way that we could retain and enjoy learning. I could always stop by her class and tell her anything that was going on in my life and she always offered a helping hand with anything I needed. She remains a great friend to me and many of her other former students. She’s also a great coach, coaching cheerleading back when I was a student and now coaches a very successful bowling league at Rockledge High. She’s always been such a great supporter throughout my time as a student and now as a journalist. I hope one day she realizes what an amazing impact she has on her students. RAIDER PRIDE!
Kirstin O’Connor: One of my favorite teachers was Mr. Huth who taught both my freshman and senior year high school English literature classes. He once jumped up on a desk and growled at the class like a lion to get our attention! Charles Dickens was pretty dry, but Mr. Huth made it all memorable!
Molly Reed: My favorite teachers were Jason and Joanna DiPeppe at Satellite High School. He was my 10th grade Honors English teacher and she was my 11th grade AP English teacher. They not only made me fall in love with literature and the power it has but taught us some of the most important life lessons. They showed us how important it is to be yourself, not to worry about what others think, and to stand up for what you believe.
Erik Sandoval: Ms. Mona Dawer was my fourth-grade teacher in San Jose, California. I was a pudgy fourth grader. She took me under her wing to not only make me feel more confident about myself but also taught me a lot of empathy for my fellow students.
Jamie Seh: I went to a pretty small school and one of the great things about it was the teachers. I’d say every single one of them impacted me in a positive way. I wish I could thank all of them and express what they mean to me.
Trooper Steve: Mr. Robert Fayard was my high school band director. Not only was he my teacher but an amazing role model. He taught me self-discipline and self-respect. I owe him a lot for the professionalism I have today.
Brianna Volz: There are too many to shout them all out but I remember three in particular: My gifted teacher, Mrs. Compton, who told my mom I stood out and encouraged her to have me tested for our gifted program, which helped me find my place in elementary school. She also encouraged my mom to have me tested to skip a grade. I passed and got to skip second grade; My third-grade teacher, Ms. Allen, knew how nervous I was walking into her classroom being a whole year younger than all the other students and missing important lessons that second graders learned, like cursive and basic multiplication, so she went out of her way to make sure I felt comfortable in her classroom. She still keeps up with me today. Ms. Peltz, my kindergarten teacher also told my mom I was different than other students (AKA had too much energy and refused to take naps) and loved to learn. She invested so much time and energy into helping me lay a strong educational foundation and continued to follow my journey throughout the rest of my elementary years, always rooting for me. She was also special to my family because my sister was lucky enough to have her a few years later.
Justin Warmoth: I had so many fantastic teachers at Bear Lake Elementary, Teague Middle School and Lake Brantley High School, but I’d have to say the teacher who had the biggest impact on me was Ms. Buckman at Bear Lake. Fourth grade is such an important time in a child’s development, and she had this special way of helping her students not only learn the material but also retain what we were learning. I still remember the lessons like it was yesterday.
Nicky Zizaza: My favorite teacher was Mrs. Shoop. She was my third-grade teacher and I loved the way she read books out loud to us. I think it was her storytelling that grew the passion in me.
Ginger Gadsden: I’ve had many teachers who have played an instrumental role in my life. My first-grade teacher at Oakland Elementary was Miss Norris. She had to tell me I missed too many days of school to be promoted to the second grade. She didn’t say I had failed. Instead, she said I was going to get a second chance to do better. Imagine what I would have felt like had she used different, more defeatist language to tell me the news. She is probably the reason why, to this day, I measure my words carefully before I say anything. Words matter.
While Miss Norris was clearly my favorite teacher when I was 6 years old, I would not meet my all-time favorite teacher until middle school. That would be Mrs. Grady. I had never seen anyone in my classroom quite like her. She was perhaps the prettiest teacher I had ever laid my eyes on. Her hair was always perfectly coiffed and, on most days, she would wear pants with a cute cardigan set. I don’t remember how tall she was, but I do remember her posture was perfect.
Mrs. Grady lived one street over from me. Her husband was a minister. My mom knew her because we were also neighbors. She was the only person outside of my family my mom trusted to take me anywhere. I couldn’t go to a sleepover, or even go to a friend’s house after school but my mom liked Mrs. Grady.
Mrs. Grady got me interested in 4-H. She took me to 4-H meetings. I learned about canning, cooking, sewing and so much more. I had no idea so much stuff was out there. Then it happened. I entered a sewing contest and made a skirt. Well, guess who won “Best Hemline” that year at the 4-H fair. That’s right, this girl. I never felt so proud of an accomplishment. Mrs. Grady told me she knew I could do it. When I saw that big blue, first-place ribbon on my navy-blue skirt, I nearly fainted.
Mrs. Grady took so much time with me at school. She knew I was from a large family. (I am the seventh of 15). When I look back, I think Mrs. Grady knew I could have easily fallen through the cracks or gotten away with the bare minimum. I went to a Title 1 school and got free lunch. People probably didn’t expect a lot from me, but I knew Mrs. Grady did and I never wanted to disappoint her.
I remember she would tell me to sit up straight and stop slouching. I was always the tallest in my class, so I tended to slouch to fit in. Sometimes when I came to class looking less than polished, she would straighten my collar or smooth my hair. Today, I don’t think teachers are even allowed to tell kids to pull up their pants. She corrected my grammar and would remind me to always speak up when I was asked a question or gave an answer. At the time, I thought she was being so hard on me but in hindsight, I now know she cared about me and my future. I got teased quite a bit, but she would not let me feel sorry for myself.
Bottom line, Mrs. Grady made me realize I mattered. Realizing this at a young age was empowering. A young girl who knows her worth will not look to others for a price tag. Thanks Mrs. Grady. You were and remain, my all-time favorite teacher.
By the way, I have won an Emmy and AP awards, but those take second place to that 4-H trophy for best hemline. I still have it and will always cherish it.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Matt Austin: I wanted to be a professional football player when I grew up, but I overestimated my athletic ability.
Merris Badcock: An astronaut! And an actress/singer/dancer.
Louis Bolden: In middle school, I was in the Speakers and Writers Club. I remember having to memorize and present passages to audition. I didn’t know what I wanted to be at that point, but it seems to have worked out that Speakers and Writers prepared me to present the news.
Candace Campos: I remember walking into my first-grade classroom and introducing myself to the class giving my name, birthday, favorite food, and color etc. But I remember one very specific question my teacher asked me. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I remember that question hitting a nerve with me, even at that age. It was a very timely question, as it was just a month after Hurricane Andrew destroyed every possession I had in South Florida. My family and I were living in a rental, as we tried to rebuild our lives and home. And it was that moment, I vividly remember standing in front of the classroom and for the first time saying, “I want to be a meteorologist.” As you can imagine, it surprised my teacher when a five-year-old even knew how to say meteorologist!
Amanda Castro: I’ve known since fifth grade that I wanted to be a journalist. I joined my elementary school’s morning announcements team and fell in love with TV and broadcast journalism. I took TV production classes throughout middle and high school. I went to UCF to study Radio/Television and I was the only one of my friends who didn’t change my major! I’m so lucky and thankful to be doing what I’ve always wanted to do since I was a little girl.
Ezzy Castro: It was ninth grade when I took TV Production as an elective. I figured it would be cool. It was in that class that I realized I wanted to be a news reporter! I never changed my mind and I chased the dream!
Mike Holfeld: I always wanted to be a radio announcer. I used to interview my brother and sisters using a small reel-to-reel tape recorder. That started when I was about 10, in fifth grade I guess. In grammar school, I won the state declamation contest in sixth and seventh grade and I realized I had a special talent for public speaking. I won the state oratorical contest my junior and senior years and placed second in the nationals my senior year. I got my first job in radio at 17 while I was still in high school. I ended my radio career at age 21 with WPEN in Philadelphia. My air name was Michael Scott Buchanon 95 PEN News.
Mark Lehman: According to kindergarten Mark, I wanted to be a “button pusher” when I grew up. Some might say I pushed plenty of buttons as a kid.
Crystal Moyer: I wanted to be a successful journalist like Oprah growing up and kicked off my career reading the lunch menu for the morning announcements in elementary school. I also anchored the school news when I attended Kennedy Middle School and Rockledge High School. (I hope none of those old tapes turn up somewhere!)
Kirstin O’Connor: I wanted to be a teacher for a long time, but then after participating in a speech and debate club I started dreaming up a plan to become a TV reporter.
Molly Reed: A Shamu trainer at SeaWorld and marine biologist!
Treasure Roberts: Early on in school I always said I wanted to be an actress. I was involved in plays and I enjoyed talking in front of the class. I’m clearly not an actress now, but I put those social skills to good use and made a career out of journalism.
Jamie Seh: I wanted to be a sports announcer when I grew up.
Trooper Steve: Well, if it’s not obvious I was the one that always said I wanted to be a police officer. One thing that is true, I never thought I would become a news anchor.
Brianna Volz: Oprah, or at least half the talk show host she was. I like to think I’m getting closer to that dream with each interview.
Justin Warmoth: Up until probably high school, I wanted to be a professional baseball player — something both of my younger brothers went on to accomplish. Some of my favorite childhood memories were made on a baseball field, including winning a state championship my senior year at Lake Brantley High School.
Nicky Zizaza: I wanted to be many things as a little kid, but the one that still sticks out in my head was to become a flight attendant. In the 90s, it looked so glamorous.