An Interview with Mr. Meehan

Mr. Meehan is a member of faculty who is beloved by the Mohawk community. He’s set to retire soon, and as such, I’ve chosen to interview him as a last hurrah to his time here.

( I would like to preface this interview by stating that my grandfather is good friends with Mr. Meehan, and as such, there are several mentions of him throughout this interview.)

Q: How long have you been working at Mohawk?

A: Since 2000.

Q: What is your favorite memory from your time here?

A: Well, I have a lot of really good memories. Just, we’ve had a lot of laughs and good times with coworkers and students and actually, student’s parents, too. It’s hard not to think about, y’know, Gettysburg trips, sixth grade field trips to The Christmas Carol. I enjoy those. Band events, choir events, sporting events at the high school. Just watching. Probably the best thing is seeing students come in for kindergarten registration and now seeing them in 11th and 12 grade. Those are probably my best memories. I remember reading Dr. Seuss to students who are now in 10th, 11th, 12th grade, and I remember being in those kindergarten classrooms or being down in the pit in the elementary and looking out there and seeing those same faces that are now getting ready to graduate and talking about what they’re going to do for college and beyond. That’s probably my best memory; is seeing these students through from kindergarten to senior year and seeing the changes that happen and how they’re becoming young adults and planning for their future. They come in just knowing their colors and some basic sight words and things like that, and now they’re preparing for college. It’s a really neat thing to see.

Q: Did you always want the career that you currently have?

A: I actually started out from high school…I was going to be a mechanic, and my dad, of course, was in the teaching business for 38 years and I had always thought, y’know, maybe I would go from being a mechanic to being a tech ed teacher. I liked working with people and kids, cause I was a playground instructor for a little bit in college. So I did that, and then I changed my major again from tech ed, because I liked tech ed, but I was actually talking to your grandpap, and he said, “Why don’t you go to Slippery Rock and become an elementary teacher? There’s tons of those.” I was worried about finding a job in tech ed at the time because, as you see, we only have a few in each school. Look at how many elementary teachers there are. Your grandpap kind of said, ” You’re gonna have a much easier time finding a job as an elementary teacher.” So I did. I graduated from Slippery Rock and worked at Riverside for a few years, and then I came here.

Q: What sorts of activities did you do in high school?

A: I was in band. I played sports up until high school.  I played baseball, football, clear up until eighth grade, and then after that I focused on band, and I did band from ninth grade to senior year. I was drum captain and band president. I was on stage crew for the musicals.

Q: What would you say has shaped you into the person that you are today?

A: Oh, my family. My mom and dad. Some teachers throughout, but mainly my mom and dad.

Q: Will you miss working here?

A: Yes.  I’ll miss the teachers and the students. I made a lot of good friends here. Some families. I’ve had a bunch of families reaching out to me. I’ve made some good connections over the years.

Q: Do you have any closing words?

A. Mohawk is a great school district. I’ve enjoyed working here throughout my career.  I’m glad I’ve worked here and I wouldn’t want to work anywhere else. We have great staff, great families. It’s a great community. We have a very supportive school district. I’ve just enjoyed getting to know everybody, making a lot of friends here. It’s a wonderful experience and I’m gonna miss it.