TOWAMENCIN – Just five years ago, Mr. Patrick O’neill was walking the halls of North Penn High School, wrestling the crowds in the way to class, and wrestling opponents on the mat in the gym. Now, he walks the halls again, but this time as the role of a teacher. 

Graduating Bloomsburg University just last May, O’neill is now the teacher for North Penn’s Broadcasting and Video Production classes. He fills the shoes of his own former teacher,  Mr. Kyle Berger who is now NPHS’s Athletic Director. 

“I did my undergraduate in media and journalism, so I kind of followed the track of NPTV and the classes I took here. Then I went back for my fifth year, grad school, for secondary education,” O’neill stated. 

With aspirations in wrestling and coaching, O’neill felt that being a teacher would be a good way for him to become a wrestling coach. In fact, broadcasting and video production wasn’t always his interest, it was something he kind of just fell into. 

“Honestly, I kind of walked into this class blind when I was a sophomore in high school,” O’neill shared when explaining how this was unexpected for him.

“My ninth grade counselor, Mr. Joy at Penndale, sat me down,” O’neill said. ” He knew I was a big athlete and thought that sports broadcasting might be something I was interested in.” 

While it may have been a class he wouldn’t have chosen on his own, O’neill shared how he “fell in love with it.” For him, the pride he felt from the class really drew him in. 

“The creative freedom you have in the class and really being able to be prideful and have an end result in a project that you get to see and promote and share to everybody,” O’neill said about what really caught his attention in the class. 

After completing his senior year at North Penn doing a career study with Mr. Gilmer, O’neill knew that he wanted to follow the media and broadcasting track. 

For most people, getting a new job, especially right out of college, may seem scary. However, with already having these connections to teachers and the environment, O’neill had a good support system behind him. 

“I think it does benefit me, a little bit, that I am a graduate of North Penn,” O’neill explained, “I still have a lot of connections and relationships with teachers in the building, so there’s a great support system behind me. I’m not walking in blind.”

With being a North Penn grad, O’neill understands what it’s like to be in a student’s shoes. This advantage lets him relate to students better. 

“With each student being different in their own way, you’re not gonna see the same four projects every year. You’re going to be able to see a different project from every single kid,” O’neill said.

Getting able to see the growth and creative abilities of the students is just one of the perks of teaching video and broadcasting.