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A Flair for the Dramatic Pitts’ alter-ego teaches more than just literature
By REBECCA LEFTWICH rebecca@newnan.com
O
Tracey E. Pitts’ alter-ego, the incomparable Ms. Ivera T. Grundy, saunters onto the scene at Madras Middle School’s Black History Month program.
ur parents stay with us forever, whether it’s green eyes from our mother’s side of the family or a love for butter pecan ice cream from our father. Madras Middle School English teacher Tracey E. Pitts – who also is a writer, actor and director – has based an entire character, alter-ego Ms. Ivera T. Grundy, on her mother and grandmother. “I’ve been doing her forever – she’s such a part of me,” said Pitts, who started visiting churches to perform in skits when she was a teenager. “We have a lot of comedians in our family, a lot of awesome ladies. I started acting like my mother and grandmother, and my family thought it was quite funny.” Pitts’ mother, Ivera Terry Strozier Powell, sometimes objected to her daughter’s characterization of her and Pitts’ grandmother, Carrie Marie Standford Terry.
“She’d say, ‘Oh, no, that’s just over the top,’ but my brothers and cousins would say, ‘No, that’s you.” Growing up, Pitts remembers her mom burning everything she cooked. On Powell’s 70th birthday, Pitts’ alterego drew big laughs from party-goers by recalling those days. “My mother treated us like gods,” Ms. Grundy told the crowd. “She gave us three burnt offerings a day!” Performing in church has always been important to Pitts. “I consider myself a Christian comedian, so I keep everything I do real clean,” she said. “I think God has given me this talent and I don’t want to profane it in any way.” That translates well to the classroom, where her students just never know who’s going to show up to teach their lessons. “I do monologues all day long in class, which keeps them on task and keeps them laughing,” Pitts said. “You can reach kids you don’t normally reach through a character. There are kids with a lot of problems at home,
Tracy E. Pitts
but I keep things funny so they can concentrate and see there is a comical side to daily situations and then maybe they can see that hey, I can get through this.” Pitts – a member of Who’s Who A m o n g A m e r i c a n Wo m e n i n Education and Who’s Who Among American Teachers who has won awards for Christian playwriting – has degrees in theatre, middle grades education and psychology. She and her husband of more than 20 years,
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St. Patrick’s Day Facts & Figures
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METRO GRAPHICS
St. Patrick’s Day is enjoyed by millions of people, including those of Irish descent and even those with no connection to Ireland. A day of celebration, music and parades, St. Patrick’s Day also has a unique history. The following are some interesting facts and figures about St. Patrick’s Day that might help explain its popularity. ■
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St. Patrick’s Day is annually celebrated on March 17, which means the holiday falls during the Christian season of Lent, when many practicing Christians abstain from eating meat. However, these Lenten prohibitions of meat are typically lifted on St. Patrick’s Day, when celebrants are allowed to indulge in traditional Irish meals which may include Irish bacon. St. Patrick is not actually of Irish descent. Born in the fifth century, St. Patrick was born in Roman Britain and only brought to Ireland as a slave when he was a teenager. He would eventually escape from captivity, but later he returned to Ireland and is credited with bringing Christianity to the Irish people upon his return. People in Ireland have been celebrating the feast day of St. Patrick on March 17 since sometime during the ninth or tenth century. The feast day is celebrated on March 17 because St. Patrick is believed to have died on March 17, AD 461. Though the Irish have been celebrating the feast day of St. Patrick for centuries, the first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in the United States and not in Ireland. In 1762, Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17 in commemoration of St. Patrick. Despite those humble beginnings, today the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade is the largest parade in the United States, with more than 150,000 participants. Nearly 35 million U.S. residents claim Irish ancestry. That number is seven times the population of Ireland. Twenty-three percent of Massachusetts residents trace their ancestry to Ireland. The U.S. Census Bureau notes that there are more than 144,000 current U.S. residents who were born in Ireland. Irish soda bread, a dish enjoyed by millions each St. Patrick’s Day, gets its unique name from the use of baking soda instead of yeast as a leavening agent. Though many assume corned beef is a traditional Irish dish, it’s not. In fact, corned beef was used by Irish immigrants in New York City as a substitute for Irish bacon, which was more expensive.
SEe FLAIR, PAGE 5
ly Kid-Friend es ip Pizza Rec ➤
Pizza! Pizza!
PAGE 6
Frittata Breakfast Pizza
Frittata Breakfast Pizza Family Features
W
ho says pizza is just for dinner? With these recipes, you can get the family together and make pizza for dinner — and breakfast, lunch or snacks. By making it yourself, you can save money and make it healthier. “It’s easy to turn pizza into a healthy meal. Use a whole wheat crust, garden fresh toppings like tomatoes and serve it with a salad,” said Chef Justin Timineri, Executive Chef and Culinary Ambassador. The recipe listed here and others on page 6 are not only kid-friendly to eat, they’re kid-ready to make. Older kids can help slice vegetables, and younger kids can help make the pizza crust and add the toppings. Look for the “GrownUp Alert” on each recipe for tasks adults should handle or help with.
Chef Justin Timineri
Tomato Tips for Kids n Never
refrigerate a whole tomato. Storing in cold temperatures stops the ripen ing process and makes the flavor fade.
n The
best test for a great tomato is not color but aroma. Smell the stem end, and you should smell a strong sweetacidic fragrance. Choose tomatoes that are plump, shiny and that give slightly when pressure is applied.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings Fresh pizza dough or 1 small pre-baked pizza crust 8 to 10 eggs 1/4 cup milk Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 2 zucchini, sliced thin 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated 1 cup breakfast meat (bacon and/or swausage) cooked and chopped 2 tomatoes, sliced thin Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pizza dough in bottom of springform pan, or cut pre-baked crust to fit. In medium sized mixing bowl, combine eggs and milk. Use whisk to mix. Season egg mixture lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside. Layer zucchini on top of crust in bottom of pan. Add half of the cheese to the top of zucchini. Add cooked and chopped breakfast meat to pan. Place pan on cookie sheet. Pour egg mixture on top of meat and zucchini. Top egg mixture with sliced tomatoes and remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 15 to 25 minutes until center of frittata is evenly cooked. Remove from oven and let cool. Unhinge the springform pan. Slice and serve warm. Grown-Up Alert: Have an adult help with the oven and with unhinging the hot springform pan.