Mr. Devanny, our beloved middle school ELA teacher, has been at St. Helen for two years.
“I feel like I’ve been teaching here for ten years because I’ve been so welcomed into this lovely community.”
His passion that he shares with his students derives from his love for literature: reading, writing, and conversations.
Mr. Devanny chose this school for our Catholic community, and you would never expect the story behind the reason he is here. “Ironically, way back when I applied, I think I accidentally withdrew my application and realized this about a day later. I emailed the school back apologizing and thought, ‘Yeah, I’ll probably never hear from them now.’ ”
His favorite sport is hockey–he says it never gets boring. His favorite book is The Secret History by Donna Tartt, an amazing psychological thriller.
Mr. Devanny is not only a heartfelt teacher, but a sagacious one; he builds high-school entrance exam skills into his curriculum.
“The way I build these skills in an everyday curriculum is by just assessing what I feel my 8th grade has done well and how I can push them to the next level.” Mr. Devanny’s passion for teaching and his welcoming spirit makes him a valued part of the SHCA community.