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TEACHER FEATURE AND NEWS December 2013
Teacher Feature: Mr. Dylan Connor
Monika Hlinka
Staff Reporter
Lizzie Cerino
Editor
Latin teacher and musician,
Mr. Dylan Connor, has been
teaching at Bunnell since 2005
and has been teaching for a total
of 15 years. Born and raised in
Fairfield, CT, Connor attended
Fairfield High School, which is
where he discovered his passion
for Latin. Connor admits that he
always saw himself as a musician
and performer.
After taking Spanish and
realizing he was not very good
at it, Connor took a Latin class
his junior year and immediately
fell in love with it. By tutoring,
Connor had developed a liking
toward teaching others. He also
felt it was a “good job to fall back
on” because a job in the music
industry is a “tough job to get.”
Connor attended Skidmore College in New York and
received a Bachelor’s degree,
double majoring in English Literature and Classics of Rome and
Greece. He earned his Masters
in Education at Fairfield Univer-
sity. Connor was a professional
musician for some time in which
he released several records and
toured around the world.
When he first started teaching,
Connor was not sure he had what
it took to be “organized, make
tests, quizzes, and a curriculum.” Being only 21, Connor
was doubtful at times, especially
while “balancing music and a
teaching career.” He acknowledged that he had the passion
needed for teaching and he was
able to “communicate well” to his
students.
Throughout his teaching
career, Connor’s most difficult
obstacle has been “trying to get
students to recognize the value of
education.” Connor talks about
wanting to “ignite a passion for
learning” in all of his students.
Connor states, “I like feeling that
I can make a difference in the
way [students] see the world. I
like having my own classroom
because you can establish your
own culture/environment that
people can be proud of. It’s like
having your own little universe.”
Sophomore Ashley Young
says, “I really enjoy being in Mr.
Fun Facts about Mr. Connor:
Fun
Favorite Restaurant: Barcelona
Favorite Movie: This Is Spinal Time
Favorite Music Artist: Bob Dylan
Favorite Food: cheesburger with fries and a soda
Favorite TV Show: Homeland
Favorite Song: “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan
Death of Mandela
Tajea Walton
Staff Reporter
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandel
born in Mvezo, South Africa
passed away on December 5,
2013, at the age of 95. Mandela became South Africa’s first
African American to become
president, traveled around the
world defending the rights of not
only African Americans, but all
minorities, and was the world’s
biggest ambassador of peace,
winning the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1993.
“Whenever I think of world
peace, I think of Nelson Mandela. I also think of Gandhi, but I
think that Nelson did more,” said
senior Clarence Gaskins.
Mandela came from a wealthy
family, receiving the best education at the time. His school
teacher named him Nelson, as
part of a lesson to give students
American names. He was known
by his tribe as “Madiba.” Nelson
further pursued his education
and he graduated with a law
degree in 1942.
In July of 1952, Mandela
was charged with violating the
Suppression of Communism Act.
Mandela, along with 160 other
leaders, was arrested and charged
with high treason. Five years
later, he was acquitted, then he
was brought up on new charges,
and spent an additional five years
in jail. He was also charged with
sabotage and the South African
government believed that he had a
conspiracy to overthrow them, so
they sentenced him to life in prison. In a turnover of government in
1989, Mandela was released from
prison. Instead of lashing out at
the people who once imprisoned
him, he pursued and pushed for
peace throughout the world.
In 1994, Mandela ran against
Frederik Willem de Klerk for the
presidency of South Africa and
won. He served as the South African president for one term from
1994-1999.
“I didn’t know much about
Nelson Mandela, but I’ve been researching him. He’s done amazing
things and I can’t believe that he
passed. We need more people like
him,” says junior Brianna Scott.
Mandela went from country to
country, spreading messages of
love and unity instead of acting
out of violence. He changed the
course of history, by not only
opening up the world’s mind, but
their hearts.
Celebrities poured out their respect for Mandela through social
media; Bill Clinton posted a photo
of him and Mandela together
and wrote, “I will never forget my
friend, Madiba.”
Mandela taught society that we
do not need to resort to violence no matter how hard things
become. He also taught us that we
should never give up on what we
believe in.
Connor poses with his Red Pen Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: Monika Hlinka
Connor’s class. He’s always able
to make what we learn relatable
to our own lives. Mr. Connor is
such a fun teacher.”
He loves being able to create a
strong relationship with students.
“Not many teachers get to have a
student for the full four years of
high school and I love getting to
know them and being a part of
their journey. I can make every
student aware of the mystery of
life and open their eyes to what
life has to offer,” says Connor.
On the subject of Bunnell,
Connor says that he would like
to “see more intergration of curriculum. He also states that the
“schedule doesn’t make sense.”
He explains that “making period
five a longer period is a bad idea”
and that because of the same
schedule every day, students are
always in the same mood and
“it can get annoying.” Connor
says that “certain periods are
always so tired from a long day
of school, so the class isn’t really
that enthusiastic.” Lastly, Connor
states that there should be “more
time for lunch because it’s not
fair for students to only get 15
minutes to eat lunch.”
If he had to describe his job
in a few words, it would be “rich,
fulfilling, and real.” Connor
says, “a lot of people don’t care
about their actual jobs, but by
how much they get paid. Being
a teacher, I really love my job
even though I might not get paid
too well.” To Connor, the perfect
student would be someone who
“cares about their education, is
organized, and is consistent in
getting their work done.”
Connor is known for his red
pens. “My sixth grade teacher
always made sure everyone had
their own red pen and it was
always the joke about how much
he loved red pens.” Connor
imitated his former teacher and
wrote songs about red pens and
even has a hall of fame for the red
pens. “It’s a great ice breaker and
a way to get students to loosen
up and put them in a different
mood” states Connor.
“Mr. Connor is an awesome
teacher! He sings about red pens
everyday and teaches us so that
everyone will understand. He is
funny and I’m glad to have him as
my teacher,” said freshman Abbas
Harris.
Connor states that “music is
life. It makes me feel most alive,
happy, and really good about myself. It’s the closest I get to being
my full self or self-actualization.”
His favorite song of his is titled
“Feza Feza” meaning “Help Help”
which he wrote for the people
in Syria who are going through
hardships with their government.
“It’s a song I wrote that made a
difference, which is ultimately
what any artist strives for. It made
the people of Syria feel hope and
that they weren’t alone.” The song
has received thousands of views
on YouTube and has been played
on T.V. in the “Arab world.”
Connor has received a couple
of awards for his efforts to help
the people of Syria. His wife
is Syrian, and the events that
occurred there had become personal to his family’s life.
Outside of school, Connor
enjoys spending time with his
five-year-old daughter, Fayrouz
(Fay), and his five-month-old
son, Jude.
Visit the
Dawg House
for all of your school needs:
School Apparel
School supplies
School spirit items
Water
Located at Four Corners
Opened before and after school
and during most periods
Be sure to wear your BHS apparel on
Friday for a chance to win a gift certificate