Teacher, Colleague, Friend – Remembering John Riley
Photo by Christiana Holyer
On October 2, 2019, John Riley—beloved eighth-grade science teacher, coach, colleague, and friend— passed away after a yearlong battle with cancer. John’s kind demeanor, patient approach, and passion for teaching and learning had an enormous impact on our entire community. Head of Middle School Carla Moyer started working with John the day he stepped foot on Cannon’s campus, back in 2002. Below, she reflects on a life well-lived—and the incredible legacy that John leaves behind.
When I was having a tough day or week, I knew that the Diet Coke that appeared on my desk “anonymously” came from John Riley. Sometimes it was a whole case if things were really bad. John was a lot of things to us. He was a science nerd. I’ve never met anyone more interested in following weather 18 | CANNON | Winter/Spring 2020
patterns. In fact, he was our “go to” in-house weatherman for predictions on field trips and advisory games. He shared this passion with students during his annual weather unit. John created hands-on and interesting projects for students and instilled a love of science and a willingness to take risks with science tools and equipment. He created his own textbook, his balloon and bridge projects are remembered
