Poll of the Week:  Who recognizes Ricky G?  (a) Of course!  (b) Is that the guy? . . . (c) Never heard of him.

The answer is A.

On the Lancer Media announcements in the past three years, students have seen the familiar face of Class of 2021 member, Ricky Guariglia.

“Hilarious, Creative, Hardworking,” said Angela Smithhisler, drama teacher and this year’s leader of the morning announcements.

Guariglia is involved in more than just announcements. He is a regular in the drama department and marching band, in addition to his connections with Lancer Media. His most recent and significant accomplishment, though, is outstanding student leader.

Ricky was appointed President of the International Thespian Society, the theatre honor society. 

“I’ve seen Ricky mature a lot over the past four years, and I really feel confident that he is the best person for the job,” said drama teacher and club advisor Smithhisler. “He has consistently made huge contributions to our shows. He’s taken a number of drama classes, and he is respected by his peers. So far, he’s done a great job as president!” 

“Being ITS President, even with Covid-19 going on, has been a really good experience so far,” said Guariglia. “Working with Mrs. Smithhisler and my fellow officers in trying to keep social distance friendly activities going, and producing this year’s morning announcements has been a blast, and I’m looking forward to moving forward with it as the year goes on.”

On September 30, Ricky greeted students over the first drama Google Meet with a warm sense of humor. The meeting consisted of officer introductions, as well as icebreaker activities in which students described themselves with an adjective.  Ricky’s adjective was, “Right now, I’m drinking water Ricky.”

Class of 2024 member Carter Kircher was one of the approximately 40 students who came to the meeting. They said, “My first day in drama club was really nice. I felt accepted for who I was and didn’t feel like I needed to hide anything. Hearing the upperclassmen reminiscing about past drama club experiences and old memories they have made makes me really excited for what’s to come.”

Drama Club Vice President Rhiannon Seyfried said, “It’s so cool to work alongside Ricky because he has these super creative ideas and really knows how to bring people together.”

Ricky can also be found in the band room playing the marimba on any given (normal) day during PREP. He has spent the past two years in the marching band’s pit percussion ensemble, and in last year’s performance of  “One Giant Leap,” was featured playing the synthesizer, an instrument he managed to pick up and learn during the season. 

Beyond the D wing, he is known to the rest of the building as, “Ricky G.” Ricky has spent his time on the announcements perfecting this talk show host-like persona, and has thoroughly enjoyed bringing his comedic acting skills to the Lancer Media team. 

“Ricky is a comedic force to be reckoned with,” said Smithhisler. “His sense of humor has had quite the positive impact on my drama class, as well as the drama department in general.”

Ricky has also brought this “comedic force” to life on stage,  in Beauty and the Beast as Cogsworth and It’s a Wonderful Life as Mr. Potter. 

Audiences laughed when Ricky, as Cogsworth said, “If it’s not Baroque, don’t fix it.”  As the sour Potter, he gave villainous stares at David Kominars, and captured the audience with his precise accent.

“Ricky is unmatched when it comes to acting,” said Seyfried, “He really comes to life on stage and perfectly captures any role he’s cast in.”

“Ricky’s audition for last year’s fall play [It’s a Wonderful Life] is still something that Mr. Lake and I laugh about,” said Mrs. Smithhisler. 

Next year, Ricky plans to attend a local four-year college with a major in chemistry and a minor in either theatre, or writing. He also plans to continue the extra curricular activities he enjoys.

To see more of Ricky G, and follow his journey as ITS president, make sure to check out Lancer Media and Linganore Drama on social media!