Cincinnati Teacher Inspires Learning

This post is written by intern Brittney Bash, a student at Cincinnati Country Day School.

“Be who you are, because that’s what you have.  Impact other’s lives the most by being honest and true” –  Lisa Bodollo

Lisa Bodollo would describe herself as nutty, crazy, creative, and passionate. With a job in the performing arts, one indeed needs to possess each of these traits. . She’s previously worked at Mercy High School after obtaining undergraduate degree in Education from Bowling Green State University and her Master’s Degree in Directing and Theater Production from Central Washington University. Along with Cincinnati Country Day, Lisa also teaches and directs productions at Mount Saint Joseph University.

Both of her parents are from Hungary and some of her favorite childhood memories are from when she would visit her grandparents there. Nowadays the Bodollo family is spread out across the globe, but Lisa is still thankful for the strong bond they share. She was also the first Bodollo to get a college degree.

Lisa  pushes her students every day to do everything they can to the best of their ability and to always give 100 percent. “Dare to be remarkable, because what are your other options? You do not dare to be mediocre, to be lower than others,” she will say. “Some people can reach a certain level and be fine with their achievements, but you should always aim a little higher.  People don’t realize their own capabilities and therefore often do not realize all of the incredible things they can do!”

She believes in producing good shows of which people can look back on and be proud. She aims to eliminate the stigma surrounding the theater arts by encouraging others to “just try it” and by never putting people in a situation where they would be embarrassed. One of her goals is to also make theater classes less of a dumping ground for students who need an extra arts credit and more of a place where students can learn more about themselves and discover talents they never knew they had.

Lisa spends a large amount of her time giving back to the community outside of Cincinnati Country Day School. She currently serves as a committee member on the CCM Prep Department Board and the MSJ Arts Grant counsel. In the summer months, Lisa enjoys directing for the Cincinnati Fringe Festival and running her Theatreworks Summer Drama Camps for kids through the Northern Kentucky University Music Prep Department, Mount St. Joseph University and Madcap Puppets. She works a lot to try and create scholarships so kids don’t have to pay. She believes that the arts should never be denied to someone because they can not afford it try and often times those are the kids who need it the most.

Lisa is a big advocate for respect, both for others and also for oneself.  One act of kindness that she recalls fondly is when she was in Over the Rhine and saw an older woman who was struggling with groceries. Lisa pulled over her car and helped the woman carry the groceries to her apartment. “She trusted me.” Lisa said. “And in a today’s world where all you often hear about is people being hurt and taken advantage of, that trust meant a lot. It showed me that there is still goodness in the world.”

Lisa continues to inspire and lead everyday by blessing those around her with her beautiful personality and spunk. If she could give one piece of advice, it would be this; “Dare to be the best you can be, and most importantly, dare to be true to yourself.”

#GoodThingsCincy