As with any coworkers in the average workplace, strong bonds are often formed between the teachers at the high school. Similar work hours and struggles mean that often, one can relate to and sympathize with the other teachers at the school more than they can to anyone else. United States (US) History and Advanced Placement (AP) US History teacher Emily Coscarelli and Pre-AP English 9 and AP Seminar teacher Anna Reynolds have been close-knit since their first meeting in 2021.
Reynolds and Coscarelli initially encountered one another during Reynolds’s time as a student teacher, while Coscarelli was acting as a long-term substitute at the high school. Though their friendship wasn’t immediate, the two made their connection at a certain basketball game. Reynolds attended a Northview basketball game with special education teacher Julie Haveman in 2021. Coscarelli went by herself and Reynolds invited Coscarelli to sit next to her.
After one meeting, Reynolds knew Coscarelli would be a blast to be around, and the rest was history.
“I remember telling Haveman [that Coscarelli] seems like she’d be a lot of fun,” Reynolds said. “So we invited her over to sit with us and hang out and we just kind of clicked. We had similar humor.”
Immediately Reynolds knew that they would be close, which then led to them becoming roommates by April 2022. Living and working together would presumably be a difficult thing to balance, but these two love it.
“It’s so fun being able to run down and bug her and laugh and joke,” Reynolds said. “It’s the coolest thing being able to work with your best friend. She also gets it, we’ll come home and vent and get things off of our chests and she’s familiar with it.”
Science teacher Charissa Kashian is close friends with both Coscarelli and Reynolds. Kashian recognizes the special bond shared between the two.
“They’re very, very close. Especially since they live in the same apartment and they see each other a lot, so they know a lot about each other,” Kashian said. “They are very in tune with each other’s emotions and things like that.”
Coscarelli’s favorite trait of Reynolds is her caring and inclusive nature.
“She’s a great friend, she’s so kind,” Coscarelli said. “The way that she interacts with everybody and tries to make them feel seen is something that I try my best to emulate.”
Having a best friend who understands and shares a comedic side is something Reynolds and Coscarelli are lucky to have.
“She is very funny,” Reynolds said. “But it’s the kind of humor where it’ll go from dark to absolutely stupid and goofy to pretty highbrow intellectual jokes or niche history jokes.”
Coscarelli is also extremely in touch with her emotions and those around her, which Reynolds admires.
“She’s an extremely caring person and she’s very in tune with the emotions of other people,” Reynolds said. “She knows a lot of my quirks. If I were to come home after a hard day she’d be like ‘Oh, let me help you with this or how was your day.’ She’s just in tune with those emotions.”
Teaching is definitely not an easy profession and being so close with somebody who knows what it’s like has been beneficial for the duo.
“Part of the reason why I love Northview is because all of the teachers are very friendly and open but having a best friend here or multiple best friends is great because they’re people who get it,” Coscarelli said. “Teaching isn’t a job where people always understand it, so having people who know what you go through daily and can support you is incredible.”
When Reynolds and Coscarelli are away from the walls of the high school and their students, the two can be found in the comfort of their home being relatively chill.
“I just learned how to crochet, she’s been crocheting for years, so we crochet, we snack, we watch Grey’s Anatomy,” Coscarelli said.
Reynolds is happy with simply hanging around with Coscarelli, but the two have many adventures ahead of them.
“We have a summer bucket list of things we want to do in the area because she’s still relatively new to the Grand Rapids area,” Reynolds said. “So [we’re] doing some new things, but we are also still content to sit and hang out.”
In just three close years, Reynolds and Coscarelli went from coworkers to instant best friends/roommates. In simple terms, Coscarelli and Reynolds are each other’s number one friend. The person they go to for everything, and trust entirely.
“She is definitely, to borrow a phrase from Grey’s Anatomy, the Cristina [Yang] to my Meredith [Grey] and vice versa,” Reynolds said. “She’s my person.”
