By David Moser, James Randall, and Luke Donovan

Class of 2017

It is no easy task to become a new teacher at an unfamiliar high school—especially after the school year has already begun. However, when Mr. Peter O’Farrell, Walpole High’s new TV Production teacher, was hired after Mrs. Deborah Freeley’s unexpected resignation in September, he took on the challenge with ease. With only a few days until Chemical Health Night (October 1, 2014) administrators needed him to set up the technology in a short amount of time.  Despite such a large task, Mr. O’Farrell and his students got the job done, and Chemical Health Night concluded without any problems.

Mr. O’Farrell is a local man, as he grew up in Holbrook, MA and has been living in Walpole for almost eleven years. In 1993, he graduated from Bridgewater State University with a major in history and a minor in radio/TV production, and he later attended Providence College to obtain his Masters Degree in history. Having been one of the original people working at FOX 25 before they started doing real newscasts, Mr. O’Farrell has an experienced and diverse background in radio and TV production. Not only did he work at FOX 25 for 18 years, but also at MJR for two years.

For the past year, Mr. O’Farrell was the technical support specialist at the Boyden Elementary School, where he was in charge of all of the computers and printers in the school. Although he enjoyed helping younger students with technological equipment, Mr. O’Farrell was eager to accept his new TV production teacher position at Walpole High where he could teach older students.  According to Mr. O’Farrell, the transition from Boyden to WHS has gone smoothly because of the help of his students with where things are and how to run most of the equipment.

“I hope to give kids the opportunity to learn how to work everything in the studio and to see if TV production is what they want to do in their lives,” said Mr. O’Farrell, “Even if they do not choose to continue on with it past high school, technological skills are important with media being such an integral part of our society.” 

Mr. O’Farrell has several plans for the future of the TV studio as he works along-side students and others members of the WHS community to improve the program. With 20 years of experience at real news stations, Mr. O’Farrell wants to help his students learn all sides of the TV process–whether it’s using the cameras, being on camera, working the technical side, or doing the switching and audio.

Another goal of Mr. O’Farrell’s is for the TV studio to be less of an “island” within the school and more of a program that is involved with all of the students. “I want to offer a quality class to anyone who wants to be a part of TV production,” he said. With kindness and energy, Mr. O’Farrell plans to impact both the Walpole High School community and its TV Production Program.

Especially after successfully tackling the challenge of preparing for Chemical Health Night, Mr. O’Farrell is hopeful that with his leadership, the TV studio will continue to advance in the years to come.