Ms. Nicki Cabaniss

*Please note that during the 2022-2023 school year, Ms. Cabaniss will have a name change to Mrs. Shepherd in October 2022*

Ms. Cabaniss has been on stage since the age of 3 when she was in her first ballet recital and played a robin. Since then, the theatre bug has always had a hold. Ms. Cabaniss has done all forms of dance from Ballet, lyrical, tap, jazz and Irish. She holds a B.A. in English with Theatre Endorsement and a Masters in the Arts of Teaching specialized in the Theatre and English classroom from James Madison University.  Ms. Cabaniss enjoys choregraphy, both for dance and fight on stage and is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors. She has also served as a lighting designer and producer for volunteer and hire throughout the community. Ms. Cabaniss's students have won multiple awards in the community and at State Conferences and she has been nominated multiple times for best direction as part of the NYA Awards as well as a nomination for Teacher of the Year for the Washington area in 2021. Ms. Cabaniss won Teacher of the Year for Virginia Thespians in 2022. Ms. Cabaniss's is also a playwright and has produced two original shows winning multipe awards over the last several years. Ms. Cabaniss also serves as a Co-Chair for the Secondary Division of The Virginia Theatre Association and as the One-Act Festival Chair for Virginia Thespians. Ms. Cabaniss has always wanted to be a teacher and served as Professor of English before taking over the Theatre program at John Champe in 2013. She lives in Loudoun County, Virginia with her soon to be husband, Jake and their many pets. 

Quick Facts/Favorites: 

-Ms. Cabaniss was born and raised in Loudoun County and is a graduate of LCPS.

-She has has three pets: a dog named Lilly, a cat named Maya and a Turtle she has owned since she was five named Ed. 

-Favorite Board game is Villanious. 

 -Favorite food is Seafood. 

-Favorite color is green, yellow or light pink. 

-Favorite flower is peonies. 

-Favorite play is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 

-Favorite musical is Ghost: The Musical or Tuck Everlasting

-Favorite book is The Giver. 

-Ms. Cabaniss can recite the family tree of the Royal Family by heart and is well-versed in Tudor Lore. 

-Hobbies include Dance, Archery, Painting, writing. 

-Ms. Cabaniss was a college athlete (JMU Archery)