by staff writer, Cassidy Quinn ‘ 17

Every year the students of Bethel High School love welcoming young new teachers, who are full of passion and enthusiasm as they start their new careers.  Mr. Rooney is one of the newest additions to the teaching staff of BHS and he has already made a profound impact.  His students and fellow teachers are excited that he is the 2016-2017 Rookie of the Year award recipient.

Mr. Rooney grew up in Oxford, CT and attended the Neag School of Education at UCONN. Teaching has always been the career path Mr. Rooney wanted to follow ever since he was a little kid.

“Both of my parents were teachers and I saw how much fun they had at work, so I figured if I wanted to enjoy my work, I’d do the same” Mr. Rooney explained.

All three of his sisters are teachers, too, so the Rooney family considers teaching “their family business.”

His parents were not the only ones who inspired him to become a teacher. Two of his teachers at Oxford High School, Ms. Evans and Ms. Blozzon, showed him how powerful a leader can be and that “enthusiasm is contagious.” Anyone of his students can confirm that his positivity in class helps them actually enjoy walking into math class everyday, which is one of the many reasons he was chosen to receive the Rookie of the year award.

First year teachers have a great deal of work ahead of them, as they need to get used to the school, their colleagues, their students and create innovative, student centered lessons.

“Nothing is easy and everything is challenging in its own way,” Mr. Rooney commented.

Despite the difficulties that come with the first year of teaching, Corbin Quinn ‘19 explained that Mr. Rooney makes teaching “look easy” because he is “always having fun, while learning in class”.

Mr. Rooney’s main goal as a teacher is to increase student achievement for all while having fun along the way.

“I want to inspire students to be good learners,” he adds and it is obvious he has achieved that in his first year alone.

Congratulations on Rookie of the Year Mr. Rooney! We loved welcoming you to BHS and hope you had an amazing first, of many, years at our school.