Popular Graduation Speaker McHugh To Address Class Of 2000

By Jeff White

A familiar face will address the class of 2000 during Newtown High School’s June 9 commencement: math and social studies teacher Bob McHugh.

The task of taking up the reins of keynote commencement speaker has become almost an annual ritual for Mr McHugh, who has shared his humorous and insightful pearls of wisdom with six graduating classes. This year will be his seventh, more than any other guest speaker in high school history.

Mr McHugh, a Newtown resident who has taught at the high school for over 25 years, says that the honor of being chosen by the graduating class each year allows him to play a special role in the ceremony. “I’m part of the graduates,” he says.

Of course, the joke is that each year Mr McHugh receives the most votes from the senior class, and each year he says it will be his last as speaker. It never works out that way. “I caved in,” Mr McHugh says of his decision to go before the class of 2000. Last year’s performance was touted to be his swan song.

But unlike past years, Mr McHugh will have some help on June 9: social studies teacher Ed Obloj. The four-year high school veteran’s vote tally ran a close second to Mr McHugh’s.

Mr McHugh decided that there ought to be two commencement speakers in honor of the year 2000: “2 for 2000,” as he puts it.

“I felt honored,” Mr Obloj says of being recognized in the annual senior vote. He would only add that he will be “helping” Mr McHugh with his speech.

Mr McHugh has been known to pull some humorous antics at the podium. Last year, for example, he had the class of 1999 and faculty members take up kazoos as members of the Newtown High School New Millennium All Kazoo Band. Students and teachers piped their blue, red, and green kazoos in renditions of “Macho Man,” “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and “Pomp and Circumstance.”

Does he have something similar up his sleeve this year? No doubt he does, but Mr McHugh is not saying much. He says that he and Mr Obloj are at work on the address, but people will just have to wait and see what the duo has planned.

As for whether or not this will be his last year as keynote speaker, Mr McHugh hesitates to confirm. “I’ve said it so many times, no one is going to believe me.”