Guidance by Mrs. Alice Giglio
By now, many of the followers of this page have seen the new movie “Air” starring Matt Damon as Trafford’s Sonny Vaccaro, and you may have also seen or heard some of the interviews Sonny gave to the local media. In one interview with Tribune-Review reporter Patrick Varine, Sonny talked about his Trafford High School counselor, Mrs. Alice Giglio, saying, “One day, Mrs. Giglio came up and asked me if I ever thought about going to college.” She said to Sonny, ‘You have a gift for speaking. I really love the speeches you give at the pep rallies.’ Sonny told the reporter, “As I follow my life to today, if she hadn’t said that to me, I don’t know if I’d be where I’m at.”
Consider how profound this small bit of encouragement was for Sonny, considering that he continues to carry a deep measure of admiration for Mrs. Giglio some 66 years later; a true testament to a high school counselor serving in an influential role for the youth of her community. She delivered a positive message at the right time in his life.
For those who did not know, the caption next to Sonny’s high school photo reads, “A teacher’s nightmare. In the middle of every riot.” This is no secret, and Sonny readily admits to his high school academic career and class ranking, but what makes this so interesting is the theory we often hear about - the belief in the self-fulfilling prophecy. Sonny’s path after high school could have turned out much differently, but with Mrs. Giglio having provided a positive expectation, he admits that she was a catalyst, or at least one of his influences, that served to bring a positive result.
Through a brief look into the background of Mrs. Alice Morgan Giglio (1922-1995), we find that she was truly at the top of her profession. Her advancement in the field as a guidance counselor at Trafford High is commendable. She was a former editor of the state magazine called “The Pennsylvania Counselor” and was once named to the Pennsylvania State Committee on Guidance Activities. Her group implemented the provisions of the Pennsylvania plan of the National Education Defense Act across the state and her work was applied in Harrisburg and used by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Instruction. She later served the school district as the Director of Student Personnel, served as an officer for the Westmoreland Guidance Association, was the former president of the Penn-Trafford Joint Teachers Association, and was a speech instructor at Seton Hill College.
As a 1943 graduate of Carnegie Tech (present-day Carnegie Mellon University) College of Fine Arts, she was a distinguished member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society, representing students in the upper tenth of all graduates. While in college she served as president of the Scotch'n'Soda Theatre group, one of the nation's oldest student theater groups that is still active today at CMU. You can be certain that if she were around today, Mrs. Giglio would be gushing over seeing one of her students being portrayed on the big screen.
