Staff Member of the Month: Christine Transue

January’s Staff Member of the Month is English teacher Christine Transue. She has taught at all levels from preschool through high school and currently teaches English 9 and 10.

She attended the University of Virginia where she majored in English and Sociology. During her time in college, she most enjoyed the study of literature as a cultural product, and still does today.

Transue worked many different jobs before she became a teacher, including being a professional choreographer and dancer, a caricature artist, a balloon artist, and a professional makeup artist.

She has worked at six different schools and taught several types of dance and circus performing arts over the past 30 years. “Regardless of what I am teaching, the best part, always, is getting to know my students and watching them grow toward their greatness,” she said.

An example of this is when one group of students she trained in circus arts (including stilt-walking, juggling, miming, magic, and acrobatics) was hired as special event performers and paid a hefty salary.

Outside of school, Transue enjoys horseback riding with her husband. “I love horses. I started riding when I was five years old and am still an active [United States Equestrian Federation, or USEF)] competitor,” Transue said. Her husband is a USEF professional rider and trainer, as well as a former collegiate riding coach. They currently live on a historic horse farm in Maidens, Virginia, which is south of Goochland.