Although Mrs. Blanchard can be seen conducting on stage during every choir concert, the spotlight rarely falls on her. Many students have not had the pleasure of getting to know Mrs. Blanchard or even being her student as a part of the RHS concert or select choir. Other than focusing on her affinity for music, while in high school, she was very studious and threw shot put for her track team. Her interests in literature and history continue to grow, as one of her favorite pastimes is reading, specifically WWII historical fiction. Mrs. Blanchard’s favorite book is Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet.
As a mother of three boys, Mrs. Blanchard constantly has her hands full between attending soccer games and select choir rehearsals. She loves to cook for her family and from time to time, will bring in treats for her choir classes (she makes a mean banana bread!) Her dream vacation would be a cross country road trip with her family, complete with an RV, or a getaway to Bora Bora with her husband. (Mr. Blanchard is also a teacher at Union School!)
As all of the choir members will testify to, Mrs. Blanchard is one of the most funny, attentive, and genuine teachers at RHS. Her love for her work is evident and she never ceases to challenge and encourage her students. The Bergen County High School Chorus is lucky to have Mrs. Blanchard this year as the conductor! Carrying similar sentiment as her favorite quote, “We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most…” (Trevor Noah), Mrs. Blanchard’s advice to students at RHS would be to always challenge yourself to be better and never be afraid to try something new!