Crista Pryor blends excitement with education in her preschool classroom at Sewickley Academy.
A colorful faux cheeseburger seat and an ice cream cone stool are a few fun and functional features in her room.
And there’s Sheldon the live turtle living in a large tank in the hallway, a hit with all of the preschoolers and kindergartners.
Soaring windows offering views of the woods, a play kitchen, a zen-like pillow-laden lounge area, large paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, a student self-portrait art wall display and sparkling white lights are some of the classroom amenities inside Pryor’s spacious classroom.
“The kids lead me where they want to go. I listen to them. Kids at this age should not be restricted,” Pryor said.
Sewickley Academy follows The Reggio Emilia approach philosophy in the preschool program.
That philosophy follows a student-centered, play, discovery and experiential-based learning environment.
Pryor described her teaching style as relaxed, warm and spontaneous.
She’s married to Kenny Pryor, Quaker Valley Area High School alumnus.
The couple have two children, a daughter Mackenzie Hastings, 28, of Chicago, and a son, Justin Pryor, 26, who lives in New York City.
Pryor’s children attended Sewickley Academy exclusively; Mackenzie graduated in 2014 and Justin in 2017.
“Sewickley Academy is about community to me,” Pryor said.
Teaching preschoolers makes for a non-boring workday, she says.
“I love that my day is never the same day twice because you never know what you’re gonna get,” Pryor said of her 4- and 5-year old students. “They’re funny and say funny things. It’s extremely rewarding watching them grow from September to June. That’s fun to watch.”
Pryor graduated from the University of Akron and has lived in Edgeworth for 30 years.
She’s not sure when she’ll throw in the teaching towel.
“I’ve been retiring for the last eight years. I keep coming back because I love teaching, but it’s that sense of community and it’s been such a big part of my life. I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t here,” Pryor said.
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Pryor’s teaching assistant is Nellie Kraus, and they teach 12 students.
“She just brings a positive energy and is very engaging,” Kraus said. “We teach on the fly, it’s so nice. We work on what the students’ interests are.”
Pryor has a penchant for singing and belts out plenty of fun songs during class time.
“Sometimes I make up songs. We just sang ‘Down by the Bay’ on a whim,” Pryor said.
When she’s not teaching, Pryor likes to keep active with running and walking, particularly with the family dog, a St. Bernard named Heidi.
“I just love this small town,” Pryor said of Edgeworth.
Her biggest non-classroom-related fun fact?
“I was on ‘The Price is Right’ but never got on the stage,” Pryor recalled. “That’s my dream — to be on the stage and television.”
And if she couldn’t teach anymore, Pryor didn’t hesitate to describe her dream job.
“A backup singer — for anyone. I do like my karaoke,” she said.
