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A Few Clouds Andy Morris - an educator and motivator in the Oceanside community
In more than 25 years as a social studies teacher in Oceanside, Andy Morris has touched many lives -- his colleagues’, his students’ and the recipients of the various charitable efforts he has contributed to and helped raise money for in the Oceanside community and beyond.
For his work as a teacher, a coach and a driving force behind countless school and community events over the years, the Herald names Andy Morris its 2009 Person of the Year.
His colleagues -- from his fellow teachers to the district superintendent -- express admiration for Morris’s penchant for putting others before himself. Bob Transom, vice president of the Board of Education, praised his work raising money for school events and charities year after year, and his continuing efforts to foster school spirit and a sense of community.
“If there’s anything that’s good for the kids, Andy’s behind it,” said Transom, who is also the president of Oceanside Community Service. He noted that Morris took it upon himself this year to help raise extra money for the organization’s Thanksgiving food drive when he found out that the group was coming up short.
Oceanside High School Principal Mark Secaur described Morris, who began his career in the district in 1982, as an “exceptional teacher and friend” who works hard to extend his charitable spirit to his students, challenging them to get involved. This year he is urging them to live the “pay it forward” concept by passing good deeds along to others.
“He really is a teacher in every aspect of his life,” said Julia Nappi, who has worked with Morris in the social studies department for 21 years and succeeded him as the school’s director of student activities. Nappi characterized him as an intense and demanding teacher who pushes his students and athletes to be their best. “The respect his students and players give him is pretty remarkable,” Nappi said, adding that Morris goes above and beyond to make sure students succeed. When she had to take time off last year, for three weeks Morris taught Nappi’s classes as well as his own rather than have a number of substitutes.
Morris teaches U.S. history, a history Regents prep class, government and law, and an elective in post-World War II history. Phil D’Elia, chairman of the OHS social studies department, praised his ability to connect with all different levels of learners. “He’s very passionate about what he does,” D’Elia said, adding that Morris fosters the school’s sense of community and commitment to its students.
Over the years, Morris has also become a decorated coach, leading both the gymnastics and baseball teams to county championships -- most recently gymnastics, in 2007-08. In 2000 the baseball team captured the state championship, and Morris was named the state’s coach of the year. The team won another county title the following year, and last season it recorded its 200th win under Morris. The gymnastics team is expected to achieve that milestone next month.
Richie Woods, a science teacher at the high school, has been an assistant baseball coach on Morris’s staff for 16 years. “I think he’s memorable to all athletes and students as someone who cares greatly about them as people,” Woods said. “He’s got a big heart.” Morris can often be seen in the hallways with a five-gallon water jug, Woods said, collecting money for various causes.
Joe Pumo, who played center field for the state championship baseball team in 2000 and now teaches science at Oceanside Middle School, was also in Morris’s U.S. history class. “He is actually one of the people who inspired me to become a teacher,” said Pumo, who also coaches wrestling, and hopes to impart some of the lessons he learned from Morris on his own athletes. He recalled Morris’s ability to inspire his players to believe in themselves and in one another.
Morris’s leadership went beyond his work in the gym, said Jennifer Herman, an OHS graduate who competed on the varsity gymnastics team. “He always made the students and the athletes feel they could come to him with anything,” Herman said. When she was trying to decide where to go to college, she recalled, Morris spent his free periods making lists of pros and cons with her. “He lives for his students and athletes,” she said. “He would do anything for them.” Herman is now studying for a master’s in special education and working with Morris as an assistant gymnastics coach.
Kelly Morris, Andy’s wife of 14 years, is used to hearing these stories from his former students. “He always thinks of others before he thinks of himself,” she said. His stepson, Alex, 18, is blind, and Andy has worked with his wife over the years to raise money for a variety of charities, including the Skating Association for the Blind and Handicapped, the American Breast Cancer Association and the March of Dimes.
Bob Sullivan, a former chairman of the OHS social studies department who has remained close friends with Morris since the beginning of his career, traced Morris’s charitable spirit back to his mother, Grace, a civil rights activist and protester during the Vietnam War. She instilled in Morris a sense of community and the importance of doing good for others, Sullivan said. Over the years, Sullivan, who also taught at Molloy College, has brought his students to Morris’s classroom to see his enthusiasm, his passion for his subject matter and especially his sense of civic duty.
“He’s probably one of the most loved teachers we’ve had at Oceanside, and continues to be,” Sullivan said. “He’s at the right place at the right time in our country.”
