As I finish up my first and last year here at TRHS, I’m met with a bittersweet sting. A single year at Timberlane was always the plan for me, but that year flew by in the blink of an eye, and it’s time to reflect back on my experience.
In the past nine months, I’ve been called “Mr. O’Loughlin,” “Mr. O,” “the tall guy with the T. rex tattoo,” among other things. But what I called myself was lucky. I was lucky enough to be part of a community I genuinely admire. I got to witness your writing, your weirdness, your way with words. I watched shy students become fearless storytellers. I got to hear you call out injustice, celebrate community, and show your true passion for the TRHS community.
Having the opportunity to teach you has reminded me why I love writing in the first place. It’s not just about expression. It’s about connection. It’s about opening your heart, bleeding onto the page, and saying, “Here’s what I think…does anyone else feel this way?” And someone always does, whether they tell you or not.
Some of you bled a lot onto those pages, and I hope you found it exhilarating, freeing, and cathartic.
To my journalism students: thank you for being bold, for chasing stories, for writing about cafeteria food with the same intensity as you’d write about AI, mental health, or school policy. You covered a lot this year, and did so with poise, flexibility, and an unwavering respect for the ethics of good journalism.
To everyone else: students, staff, custodians who always smiled and nodded in the hallway: thank you for letting me be a part of your family. I’ve held a lot of different jobs, and I can truly say that you don’t always find humor, honesty, and humanity all in the same building. But I found it here every single day.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be back. Maybe someday I’ll walk these halls again. But whether I do or not, this year will stick with me as a fast paced, exciting, sometimes crazy, and often beautiful chapter of my life printed in maroon ink.
If nothing else, I think I’ll always have a scar from the absolute digger I took during the students vs. faculty basketball game.
So, this is one last word from a one-year Timberlane teacher. Thanks for reading, and if you learn anything from me, let it be that your words have power.
Tell your stories.
Write them down.
Make them count. You never know who needs to hear them.
Thank you so much to my Timberlane Family! You will always hold a special place in my heart and soul.
Sincerely,
Mr. O’Loughlin
(The guy with the T. rex tattoo)
