Athletics provide a form of therapeutic release for many students in the Edison community. What many students are unaware of, however, is the same impact that sports can have for their teachers and faculty. For J.P. Stevens alum Ms. Christina Rusk, soccer provides an incomparable form of catharsis. 

Rusk is a new member of the Edison High School faculty and 2022 marked her first year teaching here. She teaches freshman and junior English, noting that her favorite aspect of teaching is building relationships with her students. 

Her fondness for soccer began early in her childhood. After moving to Edison from a different school district, she began playing soccer in the third grade. Soccer acted as a means of connecting Rusk with her new community and provided an opportunity to bond with other students. Throughout college, she played in the Garden State Soccer League (GSSL).  

Currently, Rusk continues to compete as a defense player in several amateur soccer leagues across New Jersey, including the GSSL, Branchburg, and Metuchen soccer leagues. 

Rusk shared that for her, soccer is much more than a sport.  “For me, it is my outlet,” she said. “Soccer allows me to release.” School is her place to get things done, but soccer supplies an opportunity to destress. 

Rusk’s love for athletics extends through a wide range of activities including surfing, horseback riding, and dancing. She continues to further dedicate herself in these activities today. She has been involved in dance since she was two years old and currently teaches at the institution she learned at. Although she has not considered pursuing soccer professionally, Rusk has coached for the Union County Football Club as a means of further involving herself in the activity.