One of the scariest things that can happen in our lives is change. Whether it be something small, like a change in your class schedule, or a major one, such as transferring schools, it’s never easy to face a change head on. As students at Fenwick High School, we can all attest to this truth; we’ve all made the transition from middle school to high school, been introduced to finals for the first time, and have faced the challenge of balancing a healthy academic life with a healthy social life, all the while meeting new people and losing old friends at the same time. In times like that, our character is truly tested, and we might need to look in places we would’ve never thought of before to find answers. For Dr. John Finan, the new principal of Fenwick High School, he has one message for the entire student body: He wants to help you. Not only does Dr. Finan want to help you, but he will lead the rest of the Fenwick staff as they help you as well.

When life presented Dr. Finan with a new opportunity to become principal of Fenwick, one that would change everything for him, he was left with two choices: reject it, and stay comfortable where he was, or take the risk, and face all of the rewards and challenges that come with it. Thankfully, for the entirety of Fenwick, Dr. Finan chose the latter option. Dr. Finan had already graduated from Fenwick as a part of the class of 1987, and returned a few years later to become a Spanish teacher. However, his new opportunity to be principal would mean waking up earlier than usual every morning, moving houses to be closer to his new job, and even taking some rather unique means of transportation to get there on time, including his motorcycle “Bestia dorada” (translated to “Golden Beast” in English).

We all have to go through our own challenges as Fenwick students, no matter how different we may appear. But that’s the thing about Fenwick; you never have to face these challenges alone. You will always have a hand sticking out to help you back up when you get knocked down, and a friend to make when you need it most. And no one embodies this mentality more than Dr. Finan. During the first few weeks of the school year, Finan made it clear that he would be a student’s principal. This not only meant a simple everyday gesture like always having his office door open to talk with students, or ending every all school gathering with a “we are the friars and the friars are great” chant, but it also meant a longer term goal, like helping the class of 2028 to successfully graduate as Friars, guiding them as principal along the way and giving them the tools they need for high school and beyond.

Fenwick has 4 “pillars” that every student should strive to live by: prayer, community, study, and preaching. For Dr. Finan, prayer is the most important of those pillars. However, for Dr. Finan, praying goes above sitting in a chapel. It means reflecting on all that is happening in your life, both good and bad, and ultimately being thankful for all of it. It means helping others, no matter how well you may know them or what their background is, because faith is not just a sidebar. It’s something that we should live out every day, no matter how difficult it may seem at times. For all students, whether it be the ones who are at the top of their classes and have the rest of their lives planned out, or the ones who might be struggling or are unsure of their current situation, Dr. Finan wants you to use the tools that Fenwick has already given you, and the ones that Fenwick will continue to provide. He wants you all to know that Fenwick is a family, and that we are all here to help share the good news about all of the great things that Fenwick has to offer. 

Change is not easy. We all know this. But for Dr. Finan, there’s one solution that all of us can use to become successful both inside and outside of Fenwick: embrace it. For students who might be new to Fenwick and all that it has to offer, it can be easy to feel a little overwhelmed and out of place. But those feelings could not be farther from the actual truth. Finan wants you to keep exploring, to keep being curious. He doesn’t want students to be afraid to try new things, because it’s only through change that people find out how great we can really be. For the seniors who are on their way out of Fenwick, Finan doesn’t want you to forget what Fenwick has taught you. No matter how busy you may be right now, with finishing your classes, asking your teachers for recommendations, and building a college resume, Finan advises you that you will never forget the values of support, hard work, community and friendship that Fenwick has instilled in you over the last four years. And for the entire Fenwick body, past, present, and future, Dr. Finan says to always look at life through the lens of a Friar. Because as he always says, “we are the Friars, and the Friars are great.”