New Year, New Face

John O’Neill has shocked many students with his face, surpassing expectations.

John+ONeill+relaxing+on+grass+during+a+school+retreat.

John O’Neill relaxing on grass during a school retreat.

 Back in early August of 2020, students were preparing for in-person school. Little did they a new faculty member, John O’Neill, a Notre Dame graduate, was going to be teaching theology along with Ms. Shackelford and Ms. Moynihan. O’Neill had a foreign aspect to him as nobody had seen his face before. Anything could’ve been under the mask. 

  

  Rumors went around campus regarding what he looked like. From a complete babyface to a long hairy beard. No one knew and no one was willing to ask, especially in the times of COVID. O’Neill quickly became a favorite among the students with his enjoyable teaching style and a manageable load of coursework. 

 

More and more tension built to find out what was under the mask. Sadly, the chance never came for students to see what the real John O’Neill looked like

 

    Fast forward to August of 2021. Masks became an optional thing meaning that most students and faculty weren’t going to use them. Mr. O’Neill was one of the faculty members who chose not to use a mask which led to the grand reveal of what was under the mask. It could be a babyface, it could be a beard, it could both. 

 

    It turns out that  O’Neill has the most glorious and well-kept beard in all of JD. “Not to pick favorites but O’Neill’s beard is perfect and makes him look business-casual, yet impressive. The beard gives him an even more approachable look and with his proper manners and smooth lessons it makes O’Neill the most well-spoken and interesting teacher,” Junior Mateo McCullough said.

 

    O’Neill with a mask gave him a very strict feel, but luckily for JD, he’s the complete opposite, rather he’s the life of the party and never fails to engage his students in a productive learning environment. 

 

     Under the beard is revealed clear skin and a chiseled jawline, giving O’Neill the face of what could be a potential big-name model. Many students in the junior class who were sophomores last year were shocked by O’Neill’s grand face to reveal. 

 

 “My first impression on Mr.O’Neill was that he looked totally different without his mask, I had no idea he had a beard,” Junior Lily Edwards said. “I expected him to look like our old theology teacher, Mr. Rawls.”

 

   The beard completely threw me off,” Junior, Sophia Moreno said, “Mr.O’Neill really impressed me without his mask, I thought he was going to have a completely different face, but it fits him well.” Moreno concluded, “I feel like he looks more professional and presentable without the mask.” It appears that the students at JD are loving Mr. O’Neill’s new and fresh look on campus.