JOHN MCCORMACK

Faculty Spotlight

John McCormack '97 has been a teacher at Hammond School for around 14 years. An accomplished scholar and academic, he is the faculty advisor for Ornithos and was inducted into the Cum Laude Society earlier this school year Ornithos is a compilation of creative works submitted by the students from artwork to writing and photography McCormack was born in Paris, France but grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. Later, in the middle of high school, his family relocated to Columbia, South Carolina where attended Hammond. After graduating from Hammond, he attended the University of Virginia for his undergraduate degree and later did his graduate work at the prestigious Columbia University in New York City

At Columbia, he studied poetry and had the classic “artist in New York” experience. He was surrounded by intellectuals, famous writers, and was inspired by people and mentors he admired. McCormack remarks about how his experience at Columbia was a byproduct of his academic journey, but it was not the sole goal of his scholarship He recommends this approach to all students: that your academic journey should not revolve around a grade point average or big-name college, but around a genuine curiosity and interest. For McCormack, being able to keep this philosophy and face the realities of work that comes with pursuing an education helps provide balance.

This mentality made him a prime candidate for the vacant English department seat in the Cum Laude Society that was left after Dr Paul Ragan’s retirement. When asked about his initial response to being chosen, he said, “Horror followed by surprise and being flattered.” He remarks about how he is not one for awards, but this one held a lot of meaning Being chosen and respected by his colleagues and students was impactful for him as a teacher and academic

McCormack says that one of his proudest accomplishments as a teacher is the connections with students he meets, even after they leave Hammond He says that being a mentor to students reminds him of how valuable his job is He also takes great pride in how he has been able to build up the Ornithos publication to the compilation of student work that we know today. The creation of the book provides a community between him, the students, and the publisher and gives students a great professional experience. It is also a nice full circle moment for McCormack, as he was a part of Ornithos while a student at Hammond