By Peyton Dauley
Every student who’s taken Psychology, Law, or World History with Mr. O’Donnell before can vouch to his stories, love of music, and famous Jeopardy test reviews.
A teacher at Mashpee Middle-High School for over eighteen years, Mr. O’Donnell has become an impactful figure within our community, and not just because of his epic vinyl collection that covers the walls of his classroom.
A teacher at Mashpee Middle-High School for over eighteen years, Mr. O’Donnell has become an impactful figure within our community, and not just because of his epic vinyl collection that covers the walls of his classroom.
Before working at Mashpee, Mr. O’Donnell held varying positions, each different from the last. He worked with a construction company for twenty years, spent five years teaching at a prison in Bridgewater, and even owned a pizza restaurant named after the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi. “We wore red shirts because Garibaldi’s army were called the Redshirts,” he stated, also mentioning his love of commercial fishing.
However, it was his love of teaching that inspired him at MMHS. When asked what inspired him to teach, Mr. O’Donnell responded, “Love of the subject matter. I love being able to explain things to people, and have them understand things. That’s a great joy for me.”
This love of education will continue for Mr. O’Donnell, even after his retirement from Mashpee High. He plans to write a book titled “Differentiated Standardization,” regarding school curriculum and reform.
“[In this book] I create a curriculum that is completely standardized, and then we look at each student’s individual needs and fit those into the lesson so we can accommodate those needs,” Mr. O’Donnell stated.
As for his Mashpee legacy, O’Donnell left considerable advice for current and future MMHS students. “The number one thing is to have fun when you’re young,” he said. “Good fun, with your friends, your family...because when you get older, you have a job, responsibilities, a family-you can still have fun, but while you’re young you have a special kind of fun when you’re with your tight friends and everyone’s laughing."
“I can still get together with my friends that I grew up with and all we do is laugh constantly, joke, and give each other a hard time,” he continued.
That wasn’t the only sentiment Mr. O’Donnell left to students and colleagues. Regarding his favorite moments at MMHS, he simply said: “[I] really overall enjoyed the school, the students, and my colleagues.”
“I had Law I and Law II with Mr. O’Donnell,” said junior Emily Kelleher. “My favorite part [of his class] was always the stories he shares about his life, from adventures hitchhiking to spending his summers on the Cape, any story Mr. O’Donnell shared was guaranteed to be great.”
And finally, we got an answer as to the records on his wall, and what inspired the collection. “I love the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, and just all kinds of music,” Mr. O’Donnell stated. “There’s a lot of music coming out today that I try to keep up with. Music is one of the best things in the world for people. The best thing for the human spirit, for the soul, is music.”
O’Donnell linked this idea to education, and his views on music’s role within it. “I really think they should stress music and art education starting in preschool and kindergarten, because students do better all around, especially in math and subjects like that, if they have music and art early. So, I think it’s a shame that they take away those programs first thing, because it’s the most human thing...It’s just so good for us.”
While Mr. O’Donnell and his wall of records may be leaving MMHS this year, it’s likely that we’ll be hearing of him soon, whether it be through his book, an opening restaurant in town, or something new.
“He was honestly one of the best and most impactful teachers I’ve had at Mashpee,” Emily continued. “I wish him the best in the next chapter of his life.”
However, it was his love of teaching that inspired him at MMHS. When asked what inspired him to teach, Mr. O’Donnell responded, “Love of the subject matter. I love being able to explain things to people, and have them understand things. That’s a great joy for me.”
This love of education will continue for Mr. O’Donnell, even after his retirement from Mashpee High. He plans to write a book titled “Differentiated Standardization,” regarding school curriculum and reform.
“[In this book] I create a curriculum that is completely standardized, and then we look at each student’s individual needs and fit those into the lesson so we can accommodate those needs,” Mr. O’Donnell stated.
As for his Mashpee legacy, O’Donnell left considerable advice for current and future MMHS students. “The number one thing is to have fun when you’re young,” he said. “Good fun, with your friends, your family...because when you get older, you have a job, responsibilities, a family-you can still have fun, but while you’re young you have a special kind of fun when you’re with your tight friends and everyone’s laughing."
“I can still get together with my friends that I grew up with and all we do is laugh constantly, joke, and give each other a hard time,” he continued.
That wasn’t the only sentiment Mr. O’Donnell left to students and colleagues. Regarding his favorite moments at MMHS, he simply said: “[I] really overall enjoyed the school, the students, and my colleagues.”
“I had Law I and Law II with Mr. O’Donnell,” said junior Emily Kelleher. “My favorite part [of his class] was always the stories he shares about his life, from adventures hitchhiking to spending his summers on the Cape, any story Mr. O’Donnell shared was guaranteed to be great.”
And finally, we got an answer as to the records on his wall, and what inspired the collection. “I love the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, and just all kinds of music,” Mr. O’Donnell stated. “There’s a lot of music coming out today that I try to keep up with. Music is one of the best things in the world for people. The best thing for the human spirit, for the soul, is music.”
O’Donnell linked this idea to education, and his views on music’s role within it. “I really think they should stress music and art education starting in preschool and kindergarten, because students do better all around, especially in math and subjects like that, if they have music and art early. So, I think it’s a shame that they take away those programs first thing, because it’s the most human thing...It’s just so good for us.”
While Mr. O’Donnell and his wall of records may be leaving MMHS this year, it’s likely that we’ll be hearing of him soon, whether it be through his book, an opening restaurant in town, or something new.
“He was honestly one of the best and most impactful teachers I’ve had at Mashpee,” Emily continued. “I wish him the best in the next chapter of his life.”