If you’ve taken either AP Lang or Journalism during your time at Rosary then you’ve been lucky enough to have Ms. Barclay ‘94, a truly amazing and kind person. And if you have not had her as a teacher, then I’m sure you’ve heard how her current and previous students sing her praises throughout Rosary’s halls. However, I wanted to give the Royal community the opportunity to see the fun and witty side of Ms. Barclay so I sat down with her to get more insight.

Q: Could you explain your volleyball award?

A: My 7th Grade Coach’s Award in Volleyball? It’s intimidating. While a lot of people at Rosary know about it, they are too scared to talk about it. It was given to me because they didn’t want to cut me from the 7th-grade volleyball team. I was that powerful even as a 12-year-old. True, I had no actual talent for volleyball, but that’s unimportant. It sure beats the Meekness Award which Mr. Stegink got multiple summers as a kid.

Q: What exactly is the otter pop shuffle?

A: It is a legit dance that I did when I went to tennis camp in about 6th grade. At this tennis camp, one of the available treats was an otter pop. We developed the otter pop shuffle to express our delight. However, during a Scattergories game, Elena Walz ‘22  did not believe this was real. I don’t appreciate Elena trying to discredit me.

Q: I remember last year you wearing a keep your distance hat. Where did that hat come from? 

A: I ordered the hat off of Foam Party Hats.com thinking that it would cheer my students up. 

Q: For those that have taken AP Lang and are familiar with your “Papa, Papa” saying, where did that originate? And for those not in AP Lang, what is it?

A: Papa is a small forest child who is lost and is searching for papa. Something students should do when they get lost in an essay is to search for papa. However, you have to whisper papa desperately and you have to put your hands up. The forest sprites will hear you and sometimes they will take you to see papa.

Q: How long did it take for you to come up with the “All I Do is Write, Write, Write” song for AP Lang? And why did you come up with the song?

A: Not long because I’m a musical genius. I came up with it because I believe it’s important to do something silly and high energy before you write a stressful AP essay. Luda is my boy.

Q: What is the best award you’ve ever received and why?

A: When Elena named me her Confirmation sponsor. True, she didn’t technically ask for me to be her sponsor, but I could tell she wanted to, and I was honored. I was not able to make the Confirmation ceremony or even dedicate time to buying her a gift, but I really appreciate the fact that Elena sees me as a holy woman. I still plan on giving her $5 in a nice card.

Q: Are there any other special talents you would like the Rosary community to know about?

A: I can detect the flavor of any Jelly Belly instantly. I’ve also never missed a season of Survivor, which is a talent.

When asked what she thinks of all Ms. Barclay’s wonderful and odd talents/awards Elena said this, “Ms. Barclay amazes me every day with her skills. The fact that she can teach me how to write essays AND she is an undercover volleyball player is crazy.”

Well Royals, I hope this interview was very enlightening and very helpful when it comes to knowing who Ms. Barclay truly is. Ms. Barclay is someone who cares for all of her students and is someone who has an amazing sense of humor. Her humor is what enables her to connect with students on a personal level. Rosary Academy is truly lucky to have such a special teacher.