Upper School English teacher Bonnie Seebold and Physical Education teacher Pat McHale are dancing on stage in the Diane and David B. Heller Auditorium. At least 600 people sit in the audience. At times they’re dancing together, at times they’re dancing apart, but nothing was planned ahead of time––the two are simply moving to the rhythm while New Chorale and Special Chorus belt out “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds.

This was the scene at the May 20th Retirement Morning Ex, a 40-minute tribute to Seebold and McHale. Both teachers chose to make the 2018-19 school year their last, with Seebold retiring after 41 years at Parker and McHale after 34.

“They’re two wonderful human beings who have dedicated their adult lives to educating, mentor, guiding, coaching, supporting, generations of Parker students,” Principal Dan Frank ‘74 said. “I’m very grateful to both of them…both have an optimism and a can-do attitude..and…both…exemplify our school’s ethos of ‘Everything to help, nothing to hinder.’”

McHale became a member of the Parker community as a parent in 1980, before joining the faculty in 1985. Prior to Parker, McHale taught at a number of institutions around Illinois, including––among others––Mather High School, Benito Juarez Community Academy High School, and Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, where McHale worked with delinquent youths within a maximum security facility.

After a long career, McHale is grateful for the community he’s found at Parker. “Parker has been like a finishing school for me,” McHale said. “It’s changed me tremendously as a person. It’s broadened my interests. It’s given me opportunities to do things I would not have done had I not been affiliated with Parker. How has Parker changed me? In every way imaginable.”

Similar to McHale, Seebold was drawn to Parker because of its reputation and pedagogy. Before coming to Parker in 1977, Seebold student-taught at The Latin School of Chicago and spent four years at Fenton High School in Bensenville, Illinois.

“I came here in the beginning because I was studying progressive education,” Seebold said. “When I read about Dewey’s ideas of learning by doing, I loved them…I had never heard of Parker. Who’s this Francis Parker? So somebody said, ‘Oh yeah, he founded this school up north,’ and then I read about this school and I liked it.”

Since arriving at Parker, both educators have sought to carve out a niche. “I think my peers see me as kind of an experienced old vet,” McHale said. “I’ve worked in ten schools, I’ve taught students of every race and economic background. I think I bring a perspective to Parker…I can give them a bit of a different view of how things might be.”

Upper School English teacher Mike Mahany has known McHale for over two decades and sees the Physical Education teacher as “someone who will speak his mind.”

“He’ll say almost anything,” Mahany said, “not to the point of rudeness but to the point of bluntness. He will bluntly say things that other people won’t say. He’ll ask the questions that other people won’t ask.”

Senior Jack Maling believes that McHale is in touch with the attitudes and needs of his students. “No one should be coming to his class trying to play like it’s the Olympics,” Maling said, “and I think he really realizes that. Going to his class is not a chore, you get to go hang out with Mr. McHale. Walking into gym class doesn’t feel like walking into a class when you’re with him.”

“He has a really good understanding of how to help other people,” sophomore Grace Conrad, McHale’s step-granddaughter, said. “In school, he’s someone who knows everybody’s name and knows people. He prides himself on the aspect that he can connect with other people through the school.”

Seebold, on the other hand, is revered for her zeal in the classroom and reverence for William Shakespeare. “I want people to know me as someone who loved her subject matter and loved her work,” Seebold said. “I hope my students recognize how enthusiastic I am about what I do.”

Upper School English teacher Cory Zeller recognizes Seebold’s devotion fully. Zeller co-coaches Parker’s performance-based Shakespeare Slam team with Seebold and has taught next door to her for six years. “She loves what she does,” Zeller said. “That is her philosophy, actually. She won’t teach any text that she doesn’t love, she won’t assign any assignment that she doesn’t love. For her that’s her pedagogy, is to go with your heart and what you love and what makes you passionate.”

The English teacher makes a concerted effort to regard teenagers as equals and has remained in touch with a number of former pupils over the years. “She’s somebody who never seemed to have a hierarchical relationship between teacher and…student,” Kate Mahoney, a former student of Seebold’s at Fenton, said. “Even though we’re now both adults, I still live in awe of her. I just think she’s so incredible.”

Though separated by nearly 40 years, junior Isabel Olesinski had a similar experience to Mahoney. “She’s willing to have lunch with you, she just treats you as a friend,” Olesinski said.

“Ms. Seebold is like a teenager just trapped in a 70-year-old’s body,” sophomore Will Ehrlich said. “She knows how to relate to her students and she treats them like equals.”

With a combined 75 years at 330 W. Webster, Frank knows that Parker will suffer a great loss in saying goodbye to Seebold and McHale. “The strength of the school comes from the ways faculty and staff and students all think for themselves,” Frank said, “and their knowledge of people and the sensibilities of trying to place into perspective is just a really valuable thing to have available.”

Mahany agrees with Frank. “When you lose someone who has been here that long, you lose an important part of Parker history,” Mahany said. “I’d say that about Bonnie Seebold, I’d say that about Pat McHale. You lose pieces of Parker history that connect you to the Parker of 40 years ago.”

Conrad believes that Parker’s welcoming environment is fundamentally connected to individuals like Seebold and McHale. “Clearly they’re two people who are engaged in what’s happening at Parker,” Conrad said, “that’s what we’re gonna be losing…the people that can connect modern Parker to how Parker has kept its sort of ‘loving-family-model-home’ sense since the beginning.”

In retirement, McHale plans to move downstate to Champaign and enjoy an different lifestyle. “I’m tired of the city life, so I’m ready to kick back and relax,” McHale said. “I’m gonna substitute teach a little bit probably, but my main interest will be…a program where adults can be mentors for juvenile delinquents while they’re going through the judicial process. I’ll be a mentor for however many kids I can handle.”

Seebold has a similar desire to use retirement as an opportunity to pursue novel experiences. “I have a lot of interests that I’m looking forward to being able to explore without the time constraints of a full-time job,” Seebold said. “Travel, music, theater, the arts. I have bucket list trips. I haven’t been to very many of the lower 48 national parks. I want to go see the polar bears in Churchill, Canada or somewhere. I gotta see polar bears.” In addition to her adventures, Seebold will continue to co-coach Shakespeare Slam with Zeller next year.

Despite their legacy and relationships, both Seebold and McHale are ready for retirement. “The time just feels right,” Seebold said. “It’s almost impossible to imagine my life outside of Parker, but I’ve done all I want to do.”

“I hope everybody…that’s been associated with Parker learns to love it as much as I have,” McHale said. “It’s a truly remarkable place and everybody that’s been associated with this place has benefitted.”