The bell rings to end American Literature class. My students gather their books laughing and jostling each other out the door.
All but Tommy McFarland.
He lags behind at the window staring out at a raw January day until the last of his classmates departs. Then he shuffles deliberately to my desk.
"Sorry about Mr. Howard's brother," he murmurs, eyes full of sympathy.
My husband's youngest brother has just passed away, and I am deeply touched by Tommy's concern. But not surprised.
A senior at Grand Island Central Catholic, Tommy McFarland has a reputation for being one of the kindest kids you could ever hope to meet. "T-Mac", as his classmates call him, is the first one to acknowledge every student and teacher in the hallway.
"He's our Simba," grins classmate Mayra Almayra. In spite of his serious purposefulness when it comes to studies, Tommy nevertheless is as funny and playful with his classmates as, well, as a lion cub.
"Tommy's got this laugh that fills up the place," says Luke Wemhoff, another classmate. "You always know when Tommy laughs because every person around him starts to erupt. There isn't a single person who's as happy and fun loving as Tommy McFarland."
Be that as it may, Tommy knows when to be serious. Deeply reverent at Thursday morning school Mass, Tommy says his faith is enormously important. He is not, he explains, one to talk about his religion, but he has no qualms about quietly saying grace before meals even in a public place.
"Father Scott Harter's really made an impact on all of us," Tommy says about GICC's school chaplain. "He's helped us understand faith isn't just something for the weekends. It's part of our every day lives."
And Tommy McFarland walks the talk. Nobody's left out or excluded in his sphere.
"T-Mac's so nice," says classmate Ben Benton, "that he invited every kid in the class to his house after Homecoming our sophomore year."
Tommy is quick to credit his family for supporting and loving and teaching him what's important. "They mean a lot to me. My mom and dad and sister are always there for me and each other."
His grandfather, the late Bob McFarland - a retired Grand Island High School public teacher who coached boys' golf at GICC for several years - was a huge influence in his grandson's life. Tommy remembers his grandfather's love for his GICC players and his three consecutive state titles in the early 2000's.
"He was such a loving man who always looked for the best in all of us," Tommy recalls. "He taught me that if you're going to do something right, you have to work hard at it."
Nobody works harder than Tommy McFarland. The boys in his class tease him about a particular Spanish class in which they sit behind Tommy and whisper noisily back and forth.
"Would you guys cut it out!" Tommy finally snaps. "I'm trying to LEARN!"
He doesn't mind the teasing. "All the kids in my class take academics seriously," he says. "We're all looking to the future, but we're part of a family here. We look out for each other, too."
Tommy plans to attend Wesleyan University next year and hopes to study medicine. It's not hard to imagine him in a white jacket talking gently with a patient. I can see him bending solicitously and holding the hand of a small, scared child. He's compassionate and confident and reassuring.
But that kindly, good physician will have to wait a few years.
Today Tommy McFarland looks forward to his last year of high school. Today he'll joke with friends, practice hard on the football field, and maybe find the nerve to ask a girl to Homecoming.
Today, he only has to be our T-Mac.
All but Tommy McFarland.
He lags behind at the window staring out at a raw January day until the last of his classmates departs. Then he shuffles deliberately to my desk."Sorry about Mr. Howard's brother," he murmurs, eyes full of sympathy.
My husband's youngest brother has just passed away, and I am deeply touched by Tommy's concern. But not surprised.
A senior at Grand Island Central Catholic, Tommy McFarland has a reputation for being one of the kindest kids you could ever hope to meet. "T-Mac", as his classmates call him, is the first one to acknowledge every student and teacher in the hallway.
"He's our Simba," grins classmate Mayra Almayra. In spite of his serious purposefulness when it comes to studies, Tommy nevertheless is as funny and playful with his classmates as, well, as a lion cub.
"Tommy's got this laugh that fills up the place," says Luke Wemhoff, another classmate. "You always know when Tommy laughs because every person around him starts to erupt. There isn't a single person who's as happy and fun loving as Tommy McFarland."
Be that as it may, Tommy knows when to be serious. Deeply reverent at Thursday morning school Mass, Tommy says his faith is enormously important. He is not, he explains, one to talk about his religion, but he has no qualms about quietly saying grace before meals even in a public place.
"Father Scott Harter's really made an impact on all of us," Tommy says about GICC's school chaplain. "He's helped us understand faith isn't just something for the weekends. It's part of our every day lives."
And Tommy McFarland walks the talk. Nobody's left out or excluded in his sphere.
"T-Mac's so nice," says classmate Ben Benton, "that he invited every kid in the class to his house after Homecoming our sophomore year."
Tommy is quick to credit his family for supporting and loving and teaching him what's important. "They mean a lot to me. My mom and dad and sister are always there for me and each other."
His grandfather, the late Bob McFarland - a retired Grand Island High School public teacher who coached boys' golf at GICC for several years - was a huge influence in his grandson's life. Tommy remembers his grandfather's love for his GICC players and his three consecutive state titles in the early 2000's.
"He was such a loving man who always looked for the best in all of us," Tommy recalls. "He taught me that if you're going to do something right, you have to work hard at it."
Nobody works harder than Tommy McFarland. The boys in his class tease him about a particular Spanish class in which they sit behind Tommy and whisper noisily back and forth.
"Would you guys cut it out!" Tommy finally snaps. "I'm trying to LEARN!"
He doesn't mind the teasing. "All the kids in my class take academics seriously," he says. "We're all looking to the future, but we're part of a family here. We look out for each other, too."
Tommy plans to attend Wesleyan University next year and hopes to study medicine. It's not hard to imagine him in a white jacket talking gently with a patient. I can see him bending solicitously and holding the hand of a small, scared child. He's compassionate and confident and reassuring.
But that kindly, good physician will have to wait a few years.
Today Tommy McFarland looks forward to his last year of high school. Today he'll joke with friends, practice hard on the football field, and maybe find the nerve to ask a girl to Homecoming.
Today, he only has to be our T-Mac.
