By Feature Editor: Hannah Snyder

Having a hobby is one thing, having it be your job is even better. For Ms. Rose O’Reilly, her love for painting, photography and simply art in general gets expressed each and every day at work.

The Howell High School art teacher has been teaching students how to sculpt, photograph and create different types of projects since the 2010-2011 school year. She’s also had the privilege of watching the 2014 seniors grow every step of their high school career.

“I like to call this my senior year since it’s my fourth year teaching,” says Ms. O’Reilly.

She knew she wanted to be a teacher during her sophomore year of high school. The excitement of working with other students to make projects better in her classes created an overall desire for helping others. Ms. O’Reilly is currently teaching Ceramics and 3D design, as well as being the HHS yearbook advisor.

“My favorite is seeing the end results of the yearbook every year because the students are always proud,” says Ms. O’Reilly.

Ms. O’Reilly graduated from Central Michigan University with a bachelor’s of science in K-12 visual art education before coming to Howell. Over the years, Ms. O’Reilly has taught students new skills that they can use for the rest of their lives as well as helped future artists perfect their current talents.

“I love seeing that moment when a student finally gets it while constructing a project,” says Ms. O’Reilly.

If Ms. O’Reilly didn’t end up teaching, there’s no doubt she would have become a veterinarian. Her love for animals is equally as strong as her love for art. Recently, the O’Reilly family added a new addition to their home, a boxer puppy named Bazooka. In fact, her interest in drawing began at the age of ten coincides with her love for animals.

“I used to draw pictures of cats I that I found in magazines and books,” says Ms. O’Reilly.

Every student at HHS that has been in one of Ms. O’Reilly’s classrooms knows her obsession for music. During work time, she never hesitates to blast all different varieties of music for the class to enjoy. One of Ms. O’Reilly’s favorite artists is the legendary Stevie Wonder. Her music playlist never disappoints and it always creates a welcoming atmosphere that makes creating and developing new projects even more fun.

“I listen to all kinds of music, I really like Twenty One Pilots right now,” says Ms. O’Reilly.

Listening to music isn’t the only thing Ms. O’Reilly does. She’s also been involved in a band for the past three years. The band plays classic blues and rock songs and frequently performs in the Lansing area. As for Ms. O’Reilly, her talent is expressed as the band’s lead singer.

Movies are another major part of Ms. O’Reilly’s life.  During her free time at home, Ms. O’Reilly can be seen watching a movie. Her favorite is Nacho Libre because of the comedic tone throughout the film. However, Ms. O’Reilly doesn’t just simply stick to comedy movies. She’ll literally watch any movie that is available for her to see – no matter how bad the movie really is.

“I love all movies – even the ones that are so bad you just can’t even watch them,” says Ms. O’Reilly.