Thank You, Mr. O’Donoghue
Over the last few years Mr. O has brought lots of joy to FHS classrooms.
April 11, 2022
As the school year starts to come to a close in the next couple of months, Franklin High School is losing one of its most beloved math teachers: Mr. O’Donoghue (Mr. O). As an FHS alum, Mr. O has spent almost his whole life living and working in the Franklin community. Next year, Mr. O will be moving with his fiancé to Grand Rapids, Michigan. 
Mr. O says that he and his fiancé “are scared about being somewhere we don’t know anybody, but are open to the good things that are going to come.”
Even though he is leaving, Franklin will always remain a part of Mr. O’s life. Because of the teachers and support of this community, he decided he wanted to become a math teacher. Mr. O dedicates his initial drive to become a teacher to Mr. Peri, FHS’s former principal.
“When I was in middle school, Mr. Peri was my vice principal, and he was a huge influence on me and supported me in a lot of different ways. When I went into college undecided, I didn’t really know what I wanted to be” said Mr. O.
He added: “After my first year of college, I came back to visit Mr. Peri, and I was reminded of what he did for me and saw how passionate he was, which inspired me to go into teaching to be a positive influence on kids who might need it.”
Like all teachers, Mr. O wants his students to succeed. He stays after school with students and tutors them as well. It is important for him to make sure that his students experience the best practices of teaching, so he strives to take risks and is always looking for new ways to teach his content.
Mr. O always has his students’ best interests at heart. Before he leaves, he wants to remind students to “be patient with yourself because I think you have more of a chance to find out who you are once you get away from high school. Don’t be too hard on yourself for making mistakes and making friends.”
Thank you, Mr. O, for being such a positive influence on the Franklin community. It will be sad to see you go but we wish you the best of luck in the next chapter of your life. Thank you for all the amazing years at FHS!
