WVHS Spanish teacher meets “co-teacher” Justin Timberlake

If you’ve ever been in Warwick Valley High School Spanish teacher Meghan Murphy’s classroom, then you know that her co-teacher is none other than Justin Timberlake.

Well, sort of.

Ms. Murphy, a longtime fan of the pop icon, has kept a cardboard standee of Timberlake in her classroom for 18 years, and his corrugated likeness has become a well-known part Ms. Murphy’s classroom culture. Besides referencing him in her Spanish lessons and sharing “Timbercakes” for the singer’s birthday, Ms. Murphy also has fun telling her students that the co-teacher is always keeping an eye out for cheating during quizzes and tests. It is a playful and effective way for Ms. Murphy to share interests and connect with her students, and they are here for it!     

“It was my first day in Spanish with Mrs. Murphy, and when I came into the class I saw the Justin, I thought, ‘well, she’s either a mega-fan or a lunatic,'” laughed student Angie Ortiz. “Do you know the meme ‘My Roman Empire’? He’s that for her. We’ll be working on a lesson and she’ll find a way to work Justin in, out of nowhere. It’s fun, we all like it, it pulls you right back into the conversation.”

Recently, a WVHS connection led to Ms. Murphy getting to meet Timberlake in person during a filming of the Kelly Clarkson Show in New York City! 

“A former student of mine, Odeya Pinkus, actually works on the show,” explained Ms. Murphy. “She texted me recently, just to let me know that Justin was going to be on the show, and that it reminded her of me and all these fun memories.”

 Ms. Murphy said that was nice enough all on its own, and thought that was that. Then, Odeya contacted her again with a big surprise.

“So, she says that she mentioned me and the class and Justin during a production meeting, and next thing I know, we’re going to the show!”

Of course, they took cardboard Justin with them to the taping, and that’s where things got really fun!

“And there we are in the audience, and that’s exciting enough,” said Ms. Murphy. “Then, this producer comes running over and hands me a black Sharpie marker and says, ‘you’re going to need this!'”

During the interview segment, Kelly Clarkson pretends to go to a commercial and says, “Let’s pass things over to Meghan.” That’s when the camera pans to Ms. Murphy.

See the interaction here, at the 1:30 mark…

Ms. Murphy let Justin know that he’s been her “ride or die co-teacher” for 18 years, helping her teach the students “…Spanish verbs, conjugation, sentences…” The singer was clearly touched by the story, and gladly signed the standee during the commercial break.

So… what did Justin write?