Buhach Colony theater teacher who helped students ‘find their voice’ retires after 4 decades
C. Alan Bettis smiled as he sat in front of the large red curtain inside Buhach Colony High’s theater for the last time.
The 62-year-old Merced native has spent 40 years teaching theater to Merced County youth — 20 of which have been spent at Buhach Colony in Atwater.
Bettis, who is retiring, said now it’s time to move on to another adventure. His last day working at the school is June 30 — though he’s not done writing the script on his theatrical career.
“I’m moving to a different stage or moving to the other side of the curtain,” he explained. “I’d like to work with the community theater here and I’m going to be helping and assisting other (theater) teachers in the district. So I’m still going to be doing theater, I’m just not officially on the school roster as being a teacher.”
Forty years ago, one might assume Bettis chose theater, when in actuality it was quite the opposite, as “theater didn’t quite match his reserved, shy personality.”
During his undergraduate years at Fresno Pacific University, he was required to take a speech class. He got so nervous, he passed out.
The professor told him that he could make up for the missed speech by stating three lines in his college’s production of “Antigone,” portraying Guard Number Three.
That night, the cast got a standing ovation — and he was bitten by the theater bug. “I hadn’t planned on being here for 40 years, but everything fell into place, and I’m glad it did, because it’s been the best job ever,” he said.
Becoming a teacher
Bettis earned a bachelor’s degree in social services at Fresno Pacific University in the early 1980s. After graduation, he worked at an after-school program for kids in tough circumstances. In an effort to give the youth an outlet to express their feelings, Bettis played theater games with them.
Bettis worked at the after-school program for a while and helped out with his family business, the Bettis RV Center, as he struggled to find work in his field.
Still desiring to pursue social work and counseling, he earned a master of arts degree in counseling from Liberty University in 1993.
While he studied at Liberty, he was required to pursue a counseling internship. During his studies he worked as a drug, alcohol, tobacco, and education counselor at Merced High. There he realized he wanted to be a teacher to help and mentor students.
Upon earning a master’s degree from Liberty, Merced College approached Bettis and asked if he could direct theater for the Merced College for Kids Summer Youth Program. Then In 1993 a chance to teach theater at Merced High came and Bettis took that opportunity, teaching there from 1993 to 2001.
After Buhach Colony High officially opened in 2001, Bettis was chosen to lead its theater program, which he has remained since.
Some of the shows included the “Diary of Anne Frank,” “Treasure Island,” and his favorite, “The Laramie Project,” a retelling of the story of Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old university student who was murdered for being gay.
“The highlights of all this is watching the kids’ face(s) when they realize they do have something to say and a way to say it,” he said. “A lot of kids don’t think they can be heard. A lot of kids don’t think they have anything to say — and we give them that opportunity.”
Touching the lives of many
Isabelle Dillsaver, 18, and a recent Buhach Colony graduate took theater with Bettis all throughout high school. She admired not only his engaging lessons but the way “he encourages students to be the best versions of themselves.”
“He helps to build their confidence and accept themselves for who they are,” Dillsaver said. Throughout the past four years Mr. Bettis has helped me become confident in who I am. He has shown me that my thoughts and opinions are important and that everyone’s ideas matter.”
Manny Carranza, 17, also said Bettis has made a positive influenced his passion for theater. “(He) had such an impact on me, (he) taught me to make my actions huge on stage so people could see what I’m feeling,” Carranza said.
Many others expressed how Bettis positively impacted their lives, as his Facebook page flooded with congratulations and best wishes.
“I was able to grow vicariously from the stories you shared. I was able to have a model of who I wanted to emulate in the world. I never pass up an opportunity to tell people that I am one of your protegees,” Brian A Kubo wrote to Bettis via Facebook.
Heather Noelle Gwartney, a student of Bettis’ in the early 1990s, said Bettis paved the way for youth to find their voice.
“I’m sure I am just one of hundreds who you had such a profound impact upon, but to me, you have always been that teacher. The cool one. The one who ‘got it. The one who cared. The one who truly made a difference. And I can’t thank you enough,” Gwartney wrote.