Before her 2026 graduation, Olivia Parsons was the first North Allegheny student to receive a $1,000 award recognizing her work in theater at the high school, thanks to a new endowment by the Woffington family.
John and Judy Woffington, former teachers at North Allegheny, created the Woffington Family Drama Award Endowment, with an initial contribution of $52,000, dedicated to supporting excellence in theater arts at North Allegheny, according to Gina Anetakis, vice chair of the foundation and a member of the award selection committee.
Each year, 4% of the endowment balance will be distributed, with half awarded to an outstanding graduating senior and half granted to the North Allegheny Theater Department, according to a Jan. 21 school board report.
Parsons, 18, was presented with the award in May by the Woffingtons, North Allegheny Foundation Chair Joe Bierele and Anetakis.
“Knowing my passion for theater was cultivated by witnessing other people’s love for their art makes me feel pride in knowing that people who share my passion could find my art deserving. I am forever thankful and grateful to the Woffington family for this incredible opportunity and to the NA Foundation for making it possible,” Parsons said.
With so many talented students at North Allegheny, the decision was not an easy one. But Parsons stood out the most, Judy Woffington said.
“She was so sweet when we got to meet her. She’s outstanding,” Woffington said.
Each year, the award will go to a graduating senior who performed on the stage for at least two shows at North Allegheny.
The North Allegheny Foundation will manage the annual Woffington Family Drama Award.
“Olivia’s passion, dedication, leadership and kindness have made a lasting impact on North Allegheny’s theater program, making her a truly deserving recipient of this honor,” Anetakis said.
Parsons is the first district student to be part of all 16 North Allegheny productions since middle school, with 14 of those between grades nine through 12.
Her favorite and most “cherished” role was as Morticia in “The Addams Family Musical” last fall. She also was Queen Iduna in Disney’s “Frozen: The Broadway Musical” this past spring, she said.
As a junior, she played a ballet dancer in “The Phantom of the Opera” and the character Aphra in “Children of Eden.”
The McCandless resident student-directed the intermediate high school’s plays as stage manager for the production of “Murder Can Be Habit-Forming,” served as a junior director for “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and was one of the senior student directors for the productions of “Ramona Quimby” and “Puffs.”
The Woffingtons’ history with the school district dates back to when John began teaching English at North Allegheny High School in 1966. Judy joined the district a few years later to teach French. Both met there and eventually married, living in Marshall for 35 years and raising two sons, Matt and Jay, in their cherished school district.
While working at North Allegheny, John mentored and directed nearly 40 plays at the district. He also coached North Allegheny High School’s boys tennis program from 1971 to 2009.
Six of those years as coach was after his retirement in 2002.
John was inducted into the North Allegheny Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, according to the North Allegheny Sports Network website.
The Woffingtons have previously provided generous contributions benefiting North Allegheny’s athletic and theater departments.
Theater and acting have been in the family for years, Judy said. John’s distant relative, Peg Woffington, was a well-known Irish actress in the 1800s.
The Woffingtons are both invested in the work of the Pittsburgh Public Theater and are on the Circles Council of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
Their son, Matt, is a teacher in the North Hills School District and continues his father’s legacy as a varsity coach for the boys tennis team at North Allegheny with a top season in 2026, winning the team’s third PIAA title and first since 2009.
As for Parsons, she will be attending Gannon University in the fall to pursue a career as a physician assistant in an accelerated program.
“Even though I am not pursuing a career in the arts, I truly cannot imagine a world without theater in it. I will continue my passion for singing in Gannon University’s mixed choir, and I plan to continue performing in theater productions at the collegiate level. One thing I truly know is that theater will forever be a constant in my life,” Parsons said.
Theater has always been “an escape from reality,” she said.
“Whenever I would step into a rehearsal, all the worries about school or life in general would fade away. Theater is one of my deepest passions, and I truly believe that it connects people in ways that other activities cannot,” she said.