Image 1: Mrs. Foose, her husband Rod, and her son Todd at his wedding. He is an alum of Linsly class of 1997. His senior year is the first year she became the choreographer for the Extravaganza!
Image 2: Mrs. Foose with William Shatner. She has been a huge Star Trek fan and has been madly in love with him since she was 10. For Mother’s Day, her son and daughter-in-law paid for her to have her photo taken with him when he was in Pittsburgh for Steel City Con. She “thinks you can see how starstruck I am”!
As October comes to an end, it is important to recognize those who have battled with breast cancer. Mrs. Foose is freshly retired, and she has left a legacy at Linsly. The annual Extravaganza would not be the amazing show it is today without her. In her Theater, Dance, and Speech class, she taught students how to be creative and use their own voices to express themselves. Whether it be with speeches, skits, games, or storytelling, Mrs. Foose was always challenging her students to step out of their comfort zone and embrace their talents. One of my own favorite memories from TDS was sitting in a circle telling scary stories in the dark on Halloween. The entire classroom was always decorated for each holiday, for Mrs. Foose really cared about her students and wanted them to truly enjoy their experience.
Mrs. Foose was diagnosed with breast cancer while still working at Linsly. She was a true symbol of strength and resilience as she still showed up for her students despite everything she was going through. Mrs. Foose expressed her gratitude for the Linsly community and the support she received from students, faculty, and staff, and she explained how it helped ease the chaos in her life. She also said that she is “so happy to see that the support has been extended to others in their fights with breast cancer. Knowing that you are not alone is the greatest feeling in the world”. She shared some insight into life with breast cancer, and she said her number one piece of advice would be to “ take it one step at a time and not become overwhelmed with the scope of all the things that have to happen”. It can be easy to become stressed and anxious when faced with something like breast cancer, so it is important to get through it day by day. Mrs. Foose also said to “ask a lot of questions if you have concerns about ANYTHING that is happening in your treatment. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Maintaining a positive attitude that you CAN get through it and that everything will work out in the end is probably the most important thing of all”. Her wise words show how she is able to reflect on any experience and make it constructive. Life is unexpected, but a person like Mrs. Foose is able to take on anything that comes her way. Her perspective on life has greatly changed, and she has allowed this hardship to change her mindset in a positive way. She is “more willing to do the things I have always wanted to do and to just take the time to enjoy the little things in life. We take a lot of our simple pleasures for granted and life can be turned upside down so easily. I definitely think it affected my decision to retire when I did. You realize that you don’t really control how much time you have to spend in this world, and you need to make the most of every opportunity. I LOVED my job and the Extravaganza but it really limited a lot of the choices I was able to make on a day to day basis”. She now gets to spend more time with her family, travel, and enjoy each and every day to the fullest. Sports are a big part of her life, so she always makes sure to support the Steelers, the Penguins, and the Pirates whenever she can!
One thing I really wanted to highlight about Mrs. Foose is her talent for photography. She always showed pictures from her different adventures, and she even comes to sporting events to take pictures of the players. She explained that she “started doing photography because I love nature. I like the challenge of trying to capture the essence of some really beautiful place and then bring it home with me and to share it with others. Being in nature is very calming so I like being surrounded by it as much as possible. Photography allows you to capture special moments in time and keep them forever. Most of the photography I did at Linsly was for sports and I still enjoy doing that because it is very challenging. I even have my own photography website now that I am retired”. Check out greta-foose.pixels.com to see some of Mrs. Foose’s work; she is so talented!
Mrs. Foose has made a huge impact on the Linsly community and every student she has interacted with. Her genuine love for her career is what made her such an amazing teacher. She wants all of her students to know that, “if you give your best, you will always be satisfied with everything you do in life”. She has enjoyed visiting campus and attending different events to show her support post retirement. She was even able to see the Extravaganza, and she enjoyed the show from a different perspective. She is glad that the show is powering on, and she knows it is going to be great for years to come.
Mrs. Foose is definitely one of a kind. She is such a special person that puts her all into everything she does. She should be proud of her work at Linsly, and she should know that every student that was lucky enough to work with her was impacted tremendously. Thank you for everything you have done Mrs. Foose, and thank you for showing your students what strength, courage, and positivity truly mean!
