Schools
EPCHS Alum In The Spotlight: Gianna Pinotti, Class Of 2016
One of Mustang Nation's most involved students less than a decade ago is back at EPCHS as the Color Guard coach and social worker intern.
EVERGREEN PARK, IL — This week’s EPCHS Alum in the Spotlight is so connected to her alma mater that she holds a pair of valuable roles at the school just a few years after her graduation.
Gianna Pinotti is in her third year as the Color Guard coach at EPCHS and also assists the school’s support squad as a social worker intern.
“I want to work at a high school,” said Pinotti, a 2016 EPCHS alum. “Finding a therapist can be really daunting for teenagers and students. Having a person in the school that you see on the daily, and know they are a safe person, is a beneficial thing to have.”
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Relating to students has been one of Pinotti’s many strong suits in her social work role this year. After all, she was one of the most involved Mustang students herself less than a decade ago.
Pinotti was a fixture in the music and theater wing, participating in color guard, choir and the school musicals. In athletics, she was a softball player for two years and a dance team member for all four.
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Performing in the “Thoroughly Modern Millie” musical her senior year and advancing to the IHSA state finals with the dance team as a sophomore remains some of her most cherished memories from her time as a student here.
After earning an associate’s degree from Moraine Valley Community College and a bachelor’s from Concordia University-Chicago, Pinotti was hired as the Color Guard coach at EPCHS.
Director of Activities “Amy (Kazin) contacted me at the beginning of 2021 and said they’d need some help for winter guard for the next year,” Pinotti said. “I interviewed in November 2021 and then started right away.”
“It was the coolest thing,” Pinotti added. “It’s something I never expected, and was kinda surprised since I never saw myself doing that, but it was very, very cool.”
Color Guard at EPCHS stands out “for the community we build for each other,” Pinotti said.
“There’s nothing really like it,” she said. “It takes a unique skill, and kids only get to do it while they are in high school. They always make the best of the opportunity and when we compete, we love talking with other guards, making friends and coming out with new ideas.”
Pinotti is currently in the process of obtaining her master’s degree from Dominican University. In addition to her goal of working full-time in a high school, she would also like to one day run a baking company out of her home.
