Mr. Gaffney is a new history teacher at and an alumnus of Hampton Bays High School.
Mr. Gaffney went to the University of Delaware and is working on getting his master’s degree. He has a fondness of Hampton Bays because of the diversity within the school. “This school did me justice… if you do what you need to do, you can make something out of it,” he said. He likes to teach because he loves to hear what the students have to say and likes to challenge them. He enjoys teaching high school students especially because he wants to help prepare them for the real world.
When Mr Gaffney attended Hampton Bays High School, he was a very active member of the community. He played sports such as basketball and baseball. He was in the Key Club and the Class of 2018 President. Mr. Gaffney still is a member of the community, not just a teacher. He coaches JV baseball in the spring.
Mr. Gaffney likes to let things go with the flow. He wasn’t always planning to be a teacher, especially at such a young age. He was in college when COVID-19 began, and he had a history professor who “changed the way that I looked at the world.” This professor’s way of teaching inspired Mr. Gaffney to start his career in teaching.
Mr. Gaffney’s favorite teacher when he was a student at Hampton Bays, and one of his biggest influences to become a teacher was also a social studies teacher, Mrs. McAulay. She was like him, letting things flow, always having a good story to tell. He believes that his past in going to Hampton Bays is beneficial to his students. He also wants any kids he eventually has to attend Hampton Bays High School and continue the tradition.
