“Student Choice” Teacher of the Year
The Voyager surveyed the senior class for the rst annual award. This year, the senior class voted for Mr. Kennedy for the Student Choice Voyager “Rugby” Ball Award for Teaching Excellence.
He hired me, for better or for worse. He grilled me on Thomas Beckett and Canterbury Tales. I have a large background in the medieval era and he wanted to test me on my knowledge, no matter the content or literature. He is one of the most professional teachers with a wealth of knowledge.
-Mr. McSweeney
Where should I start? He is probably the ultimate mentor of the department, of the novice, and the veteran. His ultimate legacy is to never stop immersing yourself in the content.
-Mr. Hering
Of all the teachers I have ever worked with, Mr. Kennedy is at the very top for passion of quality of education. After an administrative background, he is all about teaching history.
– Mr. Thompson
A lot of us were hired by Mr. Kennedy. He gave us our first first in education, and modeled excellence in teaching and guidance. Eastern will miss him.
– Mr. Colton
While Mr. Kennedy may have bowed to me in 2008, I must forever bow my head in awe and appreciation for his mentor- ship. As many have mentioned, Mr. Kennedy’s knowledge of history and politics are unmatched, and I can only pray that one day, but a portion of his intellect and passion. I truly would not be at Eastern were it not for Mr. Kennedy’s dedication to excellence and continuously challenged students to go beyond their perceived limits.
– Mr. Isshak, Eastern Class of ‘08
Mr. Kennedy is one of the most supportive and dedicated teachers within Eastern, who refuses to accept anything other than his students’ full potential. With a well balance of old school education and the use of new technology within the classroom, Mr. Kennedy’s class is quite enjoyable and keeps even the most inattentive students captivated.
– Nicholas Ray ‘18
Mr. Kennedy has been the best teacher I’ve had at Eastern, and there is some serious competition. He is organized, passionate, and eager to teach the material. War and Peace is definitely challenging, but he makes it fun as well. His positive attitude and great personality allows for a great learning environment that students appreciate.
– Jesse Barbera ‘18
A class tends to be more interesting when a teacher is completely interested in what they teach. Mr. Kennedy keeps the class engaged by teaching material that is applicable to everyday life. Furthermore, Mr. Kennedy’s trivia style quizzes on Fridays keep you in the loop about current events and other important topic students in the country. Overall, Mr. Kennedy deserves to be recognized because of his dedication to teaching and how enjoyable he makes learning about history.
– Matthew Morante ‘18
Having Mr. Kennedy as a teacher this year has meant the world to me. I’ve recently come to love military history, so I took War and Peace for an interesting course and to experience a class taught by the Eastern legend. Little did I know, I signed up for one of the most memorable, impactful experiences of my life. Mr. Kennedy is beyond intelligent—but more importantly, he’s so eager to spread his knowledge with his students, in an unprecedented classroom format with an unprecedented enthusiasm. He’s so invested in his students’ success, and he fostering strong relation- ships with his students on both an academic and personal level. This past year, Mr. Kennedy has become one of my mentors, from talking about espionage history with me, to lending me movies to augment the knowledge I gain from his class, to suggesting books I read. I’ve gone through all his book and movie suggestions, because I’ve learned that Mr. Kennedy’s guidance is one of the most important pieces of my life so far. I hope to one day give back to him everything he has given to me, though I doubt I ever could. It won’t stop me from trying, though, because he deserves all the thanks in the world.
– Hayley Beluch ‘18
Mr. Kennedy was by far one of my favorite teachers this year and in high school. The way he teaches with such energy and uniqueness made the class that much more interesting. Also, how he would speak the notes instead of reading from the smart board or by a packet was unique for me, but more interesting as well.
– Joel Hark ‘18
Mr. Kennedy has been revered since he switched from administration to class instruction, and this year, he deserves to be recognized, as it is his last year in public education. Ask any of his students, and they will agree. It’s just something about the way that he presents information that is fascinating, that combined with his moral compass makes for a great teacher who deserves recognition.
– Alex Mackle ‘18
Mr. Kennedy has devoted so many years at Eastern to the education of students and his teaching style makes for engaging, productive, and meaningful lectures and classroom discussions.
Prior to teaching, Mr. Kennedy worked as an administrator and Vice Principal to the English and History departments, per- haps understanding the inner-workings of Eastern like no other. He is leaving Eastern this year and with him he leaves an incred- ible legacy in his teachings of AP Govern- ment, War & Peace, and US History.
In his nal year at Eastern, Mr. Kennedy deserves recognition for his immense con- tributions to the study of history at Eastern; we would have a signi cantly different high school. The impact he’s left on his students is re ected in the higher educa- tion and career paths they have pursued: US House of Representatives, Harvard Law School, UPenn Law School, and even teaching history at Eastern.
Being in Mr. Kennedy’s class, I have learned to be a better student in terms of public speaking, debate, note taking, research, and looking at history objectively. You would never know Mr. Kennedy’s bias in his teaching, because he presents information in a way that fairly represents both sides of an argument and allows for students to make assessments for themselves. Mr. Kennedy’s final year at Eastern should be highlighted by his love of history, our country, and education of young people. The tremendous impact he has had in influencing the lives of others to pursue law, government, history, military service and various other career paths will not be forgotten by the Eastern community now and long after he has left. Therefore, we deserve to thank him.
– Vincent Melara ‘18