You know him as the voice of the PSAT, legendary math teacher, Blackfriars Guild director, and a friendly face to all, Mr. Finnell. Although none of these titles do him justice, he embodies all of these roles daily. Mr. Finnell is concluding his last semester at Fenwick after putting in 117 already. This remarkable milestone is something very few can say they have accomplished. 

     Every day, Mr. Finnell inspires his community. He puts in countless hours both inside and outside the classroom. From directing Blackfriars Guild, to instructing math competitions, he does these things so that others can grow. Mr. Roche, a current math teacher and a Fenwick alumnus, said, “The best thing he does is he leads with love. He loves his students, his classroom, and everything he does.” This love is shown both emotionally, through Mr.Finnell’s eagerness to help others, and physically, through his numerous math competition plaques and countless layers of chalk dust “A lot of people here in the department are teachers first so we will miss gentle leadership.” added Mr Roche.

     As Mr. Finnell brought to mind his most memorable moments at Fenwick, he couldn’t help but smile through his mask. He recalled His most memorable moment was when, “In the mid-80s, when I moderated Student Council, a student said that if he was elected Student Council 

President, he would bring in the band Otis Day and The Nights from the movie Animal House. He won and brought them in and sold 1100 tickets! Another highlight was winning the State Math Contest in 2002.”

     When asked what will be missed most about Mr. Finnell, Mr. Roche replied, “There will be things that he does, that we don’t know he does, that we will find out when he’s retired.” Mr. Finnell does countless things for the school that we don’t know and take for granted.
     The magic of Fenwick that made Mr. Finnell stay so long was “The great learning atmosphere and the excitement of coming into school every day with 1100 eager students Mr. Finnell ‘s retirement plans are pretty simple. “To catch up on sleep and to help out where I can at Fenwick.” He is hoping to come back and help out with the Fall play, math competitions, etc. as well as visiting his two favorite vacation spots; New York and London. 

     Although he is leaving the classroom, Mr. Finnell is not leaving Fenwick. His enormous impact on students, faculty, and members of his community will last for a lifetime, as well as the layers of chalk dust, practically mixed in with the chalk boards. So instead of saying farewell, see you soon, Mr. Finnell.