By J1 Reporter Lauren Hicks

After 10 years at Marian, Ms. Halli Tripe, English teacher and debate coach, decided that it’s time to make a change. 

”I’m ready for a new challenge,” Tripe said, “I want to learn new things and have a better work life balance.” The way she even became a teacher was accidental. After finishing her masters degree in Texas, her friend called her and asked if she would want to coach debate at Churchill High School. She said yes and received an alternative certification for teaching. After three or four years, she made her move back to Nebraska and saw that her current job opened. She thought, “Huh, an all girls Catholic school? Why not?”

Now, she decided that it is her time to change career paths. She is excited to “work in a quiet office.” As a paralegal, she will assist lawyers with drafting documents and do everything except try cases in court and give legal advice. She may draft documents like a will or do research on a case for the attorney to approve. 

Leaving Marian means leaving behind many traditions, students, coworkers and memories. “I will miss Field Day and Field Week, the students, my colleagues, basically everything but the teaching,” Tripe said.

Her favorite literature to teach in her ninth grade Compostion and Literature class is Romeo and Juliet. Tripe and her students love to make fun of the title characters and the decisions that they make in this classic play.

Leaving teaching also means leaving behind many of the challenges that she has faced. “There is something to be said about kids always on their ipads. They don’t want to pay attention or have in-depth conversations the way that they used to. They want their ipads to give them easy answers,” she said.

She doesn’t necessarily believe this is the students’ fault but it makes instructing much more of a challenge. Tripe has to battle Google Chats, Roblox, Wordle and ChatGPT when she is trying to teach. “When I was bored in class, I would have no choice but to listen to the teacher. Now, teachers are competing with everything in the world,” she said.

Tripe has made a profound impact on her students and debaters. Charlotte Holcomb, a junior who had Tripe for Composition and Literature her freshman year and for Creative Writing this year, had many fond memories to share. “I wouldn’t have the skills to succeed in a Marian environment if it wasn’t for Ms. Tripe’s class,” Holcomb said. “I think Tripe will excel in any role that she chooses. She is very hard working.” Holcomb said that future students will be missing out on how amazing of a teacher Tripe is.

As a debate coach, Tripe works night and day to help her students write cases. Molly Duncan, a junior on the team, said, “Tripe does a lot of things but doesn’t talk about it, especially behind the scenes. She is at tournaments almost every Saturday and is a major player in the Nebraska circuit.” Duncan has some anxieties about a new coach. She said she believes that it will be exciting to learn a new style of debate and get different types of feedback. However, she is nervous in case the new coach doesn’t adapt to the Marian team style. Duncan has been a member of the team since her freshman year. She says that her favorite memory is “when they are in the car, on the way back from Lincoln or Norfolk, and they have to say the best and worst moment of the tournament.”

This summer will be her last summer as a teacher, as she is going to start her internship at a law firm in July. She plans to finish her Spanish degree at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Tripe is currently taking Insurance Law and Family Law at Metropolitan Community College. These classes have made her realize how much people need the law, especially when they are going through something difficult. Tripe and her husband will also be taking a Disney Cruise to Alaska over the summer. She says that she will miss having summers off when she is no longer teaching. 

“I love Marian and I will miss it here,” Tripe said. She will especially miss her speech and debate students. Once she is gone, she wants the Debate Club to live on. Tripe said she believes that it is extremely important and allows people to think critically. 

Students and colleagues of Tripe believe that she will excel in her future career, no matter which way it will bring her.