For the majority of the school’s “life” Mrs. Amber O’Brien has taught dance and coached the dance team. The 300-person program she built has led to full classes for four levels of dance and award-winning competition teams as well as sold out shows.

O’Brien says farewell this week, leaving the school at the end of the semester to relocate with her husband due to his job. They will be moving to South Carolina in July.  Although it is planned to be only a temporary move, she said is not positive that she will be returning to the Rocklin area.  Even though she is excited for her future in South Carolina, O’Brien feels a sense of melancholy to be leaving her job here.

“I’m sad to be leaving Whitney because the dance program is amazing and it has been a great addition to my life, but I’m looking forward to new challenges ahead,” O’Brien said.

Her talent will not be going to waste as she will continue teaching dance. In fact, she already has two solid dance jobs in South Carolina. O’Brien has been given the opportunity to work at the College of Charleston as the dance team coach. She will also work at a dance studio by the name of Dance Anatomy as a dance teacher.

Since her reign as the dance teacher and coach is coming to an end, she began mentoring Ms. Halley Cutts  at the beginning of this year. Cutts will take over the dance program next year, although she already has been coaching the newly selected members of next year’s dance team.

O’Brien’s departure created disappointment from members of  dance program:

“I’ve had O’Brien as a teacher for the last two years and I’ve come to love her! It will be so weird to go on without her being our teacher, but she has left us in good hands,” Ellen Mamula said.

This year, O’Brien taught Dance II-IV as Cutts took on the beginner class.

“Even though I never had Mrs. O’Brien because I’m in Dance I, I don’t want to see her leave and now I will never be able to have her as a teacher,” Jazmyne Jones said.

by KOLETTE KING