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Donny Connors
TEACHER OF THE YEAR IS AT THE HEART OF STUDENT LIFE
For Donny Connors, being director of student activities at Cushing Academy is a dream job. “I love getting to work with students and help them bring their vision to life,” Donny says. “It’s so rewarding to see the kids having a great time.”
Students and faculty recently showed their appreciation for Donny’s work by honoring him with the 2021 Reitman Teacher of the Year award. “This person represents everything Cushing stands for: kindness, selfl essness, and above all else, family,” said Abby Boudreau ’21 when presenting the award. “He has had an impact on more students than he can ever imagine, and the students at Cushing cannot even begin to thank him for everything he has done.”
Donny has been connected to Cushing Academy for decades. His mother, Maureen Connors, worked for 30 years as the school’s business offi ce manager, while Donny and his siblings held other positions on campus. All told, six Connors family members have worked at Cushing, and two brothers—Jim ’88 and Sean ’93—were students at the Academy. Donny began working at Cushing when he was 14 years old, fi rst in the kitchen and maintenance department and later in the mailroom. Throughout college, Donny worked during the summer sessions, and after graduation he took a job in the student center.
Donny has been in his current role since 2016, where he helps students organize such campus events as the Tony Fisher Day of Service to Others, dances, Dorm Olympics, and Spring Fling. “I want every student to have a great experience,” Donny says. “So we plan activities to make sure that there’s something for everyone.” Student life activities are vital to cultivating the fun, friendly campus community that is a hallmark of the Cushing experience. During the past year, Donny worked tirelessly alongside the health team and other faculty to reinvent classic Cushing traditions to meet COVID safety guidelines. “I have so much respect for how students handled last year,” Donny says. “They made the best of everything and they are really the stars of the year.”
As the head of Ash House, Donny lives in the dorm with his wife, Jessica, plus 12-year-old Sheamus and 8-year-old Declan. In addition to her job at Mount Wachusett Community College, Jessica is a testing coordinator at Cushing and an active contributor to dorm life and weekend campus activities. Shane Zarcone ’21 appreciated the tone Donny’s family sets for the dorm. “Mr. Connors is so personable that as soon as you meet him, you know you can talk about anything,” Shane said. “He makes sure that the dorm feels like home and organizes activities that everyone wants to participate in.”
Donny feels “blessed” to have made a home on the Cushing campus. “I’m always impressed by the work of my colleagues and by Cushing students themselves,” he said. “Cushing students take a lot of pride in their school because they genuinely like each other and care for the community.”
