Rita Desjardin

Rita Desjardin
Betty Buckley portraying Rita Desjardin (known as Miss Collins in the original film)
First appearance	Carrie
Last appearance	Carrie
Created by	Stephen King
Portrayed by	Betty Buckley, Darlene Love, Rena Sofer, Carmen Cusack, Judy Greer
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	PE teacher

Miss Rita L. Desjardin is a fictional character created by Stephen King for his horror novel Carrie. In the film versions, she was portrayed by Betty Buckley (renamed Miss Collins), Rena Sofer and Judy Greer. She was portrayed in the musical by Darlene Love (renamed Miss Gardner).

As the story begins, Desjardin secretly feels the same disgust everyone at the high school feels for Carrie White. However, when she witnesses Carrie being humiliated by the other girls in the locker room after gym class for her hysterical reaction at her first period, she realizes that Carrie is oblivious to what is happening to her, and feels sorry for her. Desjardin wants to punish the girls who taunted Carrie by having them suspended for three days and banned from the upcoming senior prom, but the principal settles on a lesser punishment: a week of boot-camp style detention in the gym. In Desjardin's view, the only reason the administrators didn't go along with her proposed punishment is that they are all men, and thus didn't really understand just how nasty the girls' behavior had been. Lead bully Chris Hargensen skips the detention and thus is barred from the prom. The principal reprimands Desjardin for cursing at Chris, but stands by her when Chris' father threatens to sue unless Chris is allowed to attend the prom, unless Desjardin is fired from her job. Meanwhile, Sue Snell, another girl who bullied Carrie, feels remorse for her actions and has her boyfriend, Tommy Ross, take Carrie to the prom to make amends.

At the prom, Desjardin talks with Carrie about her own prom night and later, congratulates her for being voted Prom Queen. As revenge from being banned from prom, Chris has secretly rigged a cord connected to two buckets hidden above the stage where Carrie and Tommy will sit on the thrones. When Chris pulls it both buckets tip over, drenching them with pigs' blood. Desjardin reflexively responds to the prank by laughing. However, she later tries to help Carrie, who pushes her aside with her telekinesis, because she telepathically sees that deep down Miss Desjardin is still laughing at her. Once outside, Carrie uses her gift to wreak havoc on the school with the intention of killing everyone in the gymnasium. She then destroys the entire town on the way home. Desjardin is one of the few survivors of the "Black Prom".