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Life on Hill Q&A with RHMS teacher, acting coach
Dustin Barnwell RHMS teacher and coach pictured while on vacation. Photo provided.
RHMS teacher Dustin Barnwell pets his dog while on vacation. - photo by Photo provided.

Q: Name & current job title?

A: Anthony Paderewski; actor, acting coach, producer, photographer

Q: How long have you known Merrik?

A: Three years

Q: How have you seen her adapt and balance her career, extra-curricular activities and school load over this past year?

A: Her passion for everything she strives to do is inspiring. From school work to approaching a character in a script to being a big sister, she does everything with passion and persistence.

Q: What sets her apart in the acting scene as an up and coming actress?

A: Her hunger. She not only wants to be an actress, she needs to be an actress. With every role she grows and challenges herself to be better than the last.

Q: How well does she adapt to roles she is assigned to play?

A: She makes the character different. Taking the role and creating something unique, such as a simple hair twist on her finger when she talks or a special giggle when the character feels awkward. She gives these characters a life of their own.

Q: Over the past few years, how have you seen her evolve in her acting craft?

A: Over the past few years she has pulled away from self-doubt. Confidence has taken the place of it. She now believes she is able to play any role that she has the opportunity to play. That is the battle that most young actors face. Whether they believe they can or cannot – both are correct. When it comes to Merrik, she can.

Q: Name & current job title?

A: Dustin Barnwell; seventh-grade teacher at Richmond Hill Middle School

Q: How long have you known Merrik?

A: Two years

Q: How have you seen her adapt and balance her career, extra-curricular activities and school load over this past year?

A: Merrik is an exceptional student both in the classroom and beyond. Merrik prioritizes her responsibilities in a way that is far more mature than others her age. She is always looking for a challenge and wants to be involved in as many areas as possible. Despite all the things she is involved in, she seems to balance it quite well and keeps an upbeat attitude and smile on her face always. I had the privilege of teaching Merrik last year and saw first-hand the quality of work she produces. Merrik’s work on projects and assignments was always exceptional and was consistently among the best work of all my students. This is even more impressive knowing the amount of things she is involved in outside of the classroom.

Q: What sets her apart in the acting scene as an up and coming actress?

A: Although I am not extremely familiar with her acting talents, I would say something that sets Merrik apart is her humility. When you meet Merrik, you can easily understand how talented she is. However, she is a very humble person and does not brag about her accomplishments. I would be willing to bet that there are many students at RHMS that are unaware of her acting successes because Merrik is not one to boast. I imagine this is hard to come by with other actors/actresses her age.

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