@Random with English teacher Jeanine DeCapite
Text by Matt Grantz, Staff Writer
May 18 , 2011
English teacher Jeanine DeCapite is never bored because she doesn’t “have the time to be bored.”
Her son Brady is her most treasured possession. When she thinks of the future she most fears what is in store for Brady and the only time she lies is when she doesn’t want him to “flip out.” DeCapite is the happiest when she is with Brady and he is in a good mood.
She has visited Jamaica, Mexico, England and Ireland, with England and Ireland her favorites because they are “beautiful countries.” If she could travel anywhere in the world, she would go to Italy with her dad to see where he lived when he was young.
When she was in high school, DeCapite worked at the Leechburg Area Pool as a cook in the snack stand and at Fox Chapel Golf Club.
Chicken Alfredo with wedding soup is her favorite meal at Olive Garden, and BBQ chicken wraps are her favorite at Red Robin. She couldn’t live without Italian food, especially pasta, and she believes homemade sauce is the best smell in the world.
Caffeine is the one legal thing which she is addicted to. She says that the best dessert ever is her mother’s homemade chocolate chip cookies. DeCapite won’t eat anything green because it scares her and is usually a vegetable. Her refrigerator is always stocked with Coke Zero, cheese and vanilla pudding, and if it were all right to bribe a teacher, she would readily accept food.
When she hears the word “technology,” DeCapite first thinks of computers. She doesn’t play any computer games and she never leaves home without her cell phone.
If given the opportunity to change her full name DeCapite wouldn’t change hers at all, but if she were a rapper her name would be “Cool mo G.”
Friday is her best day of the week because she has two days off work, while March is her worst month of the year because the weather is always a “spring or winter toss-up.”
When she was in high school, she participated in majorettes, cheerleading, basketball and softball. Her favorite subject was English and an important lesson she learned was not to care if one person didn’t like her. Following high school, she attended Slippery Rock University.
This early bird has moved three different times, not including college. She says that the best place she has ever lived was in Leechburg.
Football is her favorite sport to watch. She has coached sports teams at both Burrell (in the late ‘90s) and Leechburg (since the early 2000s).
“Sweet Home Alabama” is the one movie she would watch over and over because she loves Reese Witherspoon. On television, “Survivor” and “American Idol” are the reality shows she watches. Lindsay Lohan is the celebrity she dislikes most because DeCapite is just tired of hearing about her.
DeCapite’s first impression of Leechburg High School was that she loved it and liked the “smallness of it.” The one thing that makes her room her own is the glitter. She doesn’t dislike anything about Leechburg except all the drama that seems to go on.
She feels that the best aspect of teaching is seeing students’ faces light up when they actually understand something. The worst part she says is that some days can just be rough.
The superpower she would like to have is x-ray vision, while the one talent she wishes to have is the ability to grow money trees. Her next goal is to become rich, but she doesn’t think that is very likely.
Her very worst pet peeve is drivers that drive slower than the posted speed limit. Her biggest regret is her “two ex-husbands.”
At the time of the interview DeCapite was reading the novel “12 Reasons Why.” Anything the Valley News Dispatch publishes is bound to catch her attention. If she had the opportunity to switch places with anyone for a day, she wouldn’t do it.
A few more facts about DeCapite:
- She has one brother and is the younger of the two.
- When asked what her idea of perfect happiness is, she asked if there really was such a thing as perfect happiness.
- She has two dogs named Katrina and Zoey.
- Her refrigerator has magnets which say “You don’t scare me, I teach” on them.
- The American Cancer Society is one charity she supports.
- Her dream car is a Lamborghini.
- Her favorite color combination is orange and navy blue.
- She has a phobia of spiders.
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