Local Education Star Invited to Oprah’s Favorite Things

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Friday, November 26, 2010

Becky DiStefano, GoLocalProv Beauty Expert

“These are a few of my favorite things…”

Forget brown paper packages tied up in strings! Oprah Winfrey, in her finale season’s “Favorite Things” 2-part episode gave out unbelievably luxurious prizes to her studio audience and a local woman was among the lucky few to be included.

Marianne Douglas had a once-in-a-lifetime experience when she was invited to the Oprah show via her nomination by her friend Valerie. Marianne was nominated because she is a “hero” and that was the theme of this year’s “Favorite Things” episode; to give back to those who’ve given so much and changed lives.

Connecting with Teens

Marianne has worked for the last 10 years on various educational initiatives to help teenagers get through some rough years. “I’m trying to find solutions to what teens need to not only survive the crazy world we live in but to thrive in it,” she explains.

To achieve this seemingly overwhelming task, Marianne wrote a curriculum called Strategies for Success which teaches students leadership skills, how to set and achieve goals how to bond and build teams, ethics and financial literacy. The book has been so well received that Marianne was named Teacher of the Year for her school and district.

Conquering Bullying

In addition to her book, she also helped write a play called “High School BULLY” from Kaleidoscope Theater, adapting lessons from her curriculum. She acts as the teacher in the play and it won a Justice Award from the Attorney General this year. Marianne also co-chaired an anti-bullying summit this past October for all Rhode Island communities to tackle the bullying epidemic and stop it in its tracks.

Chicago Bound

For her heroic work, she was rewarded and handsomely with Oprah’s favorite things which include a Royal Carriebean Allure of the Seas cruise, an Ipad, a Tory Burch Bag and a Volkswagen 2012 Beetle! Most of the inexpensive items were carried from the studio while the rest were given in certificates that audience members have one year to order.

“It was incredible to be there, not so much for the prizes although they’re wonderful, but for the entire experience. The best part was being in the waiting room because I knew in my heart it was the “Favorite Things” episode (Oprah’s staff did not tell anyone prior to taping) and there was a lot of buzz..anticipation is an amazing thing.”