Humans of Community

Debra Sparacino, Culinary Arts Teacher

Valencia Merilien, Contributor • October 31, 2023

Culinary arts teacher Debra Sparacino has been teaching her at SBHS since the 1990’s, and she doesn’t have any plans of retiring and hopes to be at the school for a long time.

“As long as they keep me,” said Sparacino.

She likes to travel, eat in restaurants, and cook. She became a culinary arts teacher because she enjoys teaching the subject. Something she enjoys about the school are the students and faculty.

She doesn’t like people who lie or steal. A dish she doesn’t enjoy much is curry because of the spice. She might love to cook, but she doesn’t enjoy the cleanup.

“The way to a person’s heart is through their stomach,” said Sparacino.

The least time-consuming dish she made was an omelet, compared to the most time-consuming, which was a pie for Thanksgiving that took an hour and a half. She had made everything from scratch, and it all was ruined by her dog. She had come back to get the pie, and it was on the floor with her dog’s face covered in the filling.

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About the Contributor

Valencia Merilien, Contributor

Valencia Merilien, or Val, is a 16-year-old senior at SBHS. She grew up in the Bahamas, but moved here to Florida for her education. This is her second year in journalism class. “I wanted to be a photographer at first but I found the writing more enjoyable,” Merilien said. Most people think that Merilien is a quiet person, but in reality, she's a pretty social and talkative person when you get to know her. Merilien also likes to read books in her free time or when she’s bored and wants something productive to do. “I like to read because it passes the time fast and is fun,” said the senior. “I like finding interesting things and weird bizarre facts.” Some of Merilien's favorite foods are salads and baked potatoes. Her favorite movies this year are Inside out and IF. "My most favorite movie inside out, because the story was really inspiring, and it always had me on edge. It was really fun,” said Merilien. Merilien doesn't look up to anyone because she feels that everyone is on the same level. She has some advice for anyone willing to take it. “If I had to give advice to anyone, I would say that if anyone says something that isn't right or true, ignore them and keep walking forward, when life gets hard it will hit you in your face throwing anything at you but just keep moving forward on the path you want to pursue” she said.