The Buzz

Each month, the coveted title of Teacher of Month is awarded to a teacher whom students want to recognize both for their work as an educator, but also for the impact that they have made on their students’ life. This title found itself gifted to Mr. Archambault, or Arch as most refer to him in the month of February. Arch himself describes the title as a “cool little honor” and acknowledges that there are “a ton of amazing teachers at this school and a bunch of them have gotten recognized, deservedly so” and was honored to be among their ranks.

A recognizable figure for almost all NRHS students, whether you’ve had him as a gym teacher, coach, or even seen him smiling and waving down the hallway, you understand the dedication Arch puts into his job. Arch hopes that his uplifting attitude does have an impact on each of his students’ lives. In the classroom he says, “ I always try to make class a fun environment” because he understands that “not everyone has the best experiences in PE throughout their lives, and I hope my class is recognized as a place that’s safe and where kids aren’t afraid of being made fun of, where they have a fun experience, and they enjoy moving and they enjoy working out and they enjoying being active.”

Background 

Mr. Arch grew up in Weston, MA. In high school he played both basketball and baseball freshman year. He tore his ACL playing football in 8th grade and decided against risking another injury by joining football in high school. Wanting to attend a big school with a focus on athletics and only “a car ride away, not a plane,” he chose to pursue his undergraduate at the University of Connecticut. After graduating, he began looking for positions as a gym teacher in the area. He applied to the North Reading Middle School as a gym teacher. Immediately he found the environment of North Reading welcoming; it was somewhere he could thrive in. And after working at the middle school for 6 years, he switched over to high school. 

Today he is part of the high school’s extensive Physical Education department which includes himself as a gym teacher, Mr. Costello who switches between sophomore health and gym, and Mrs. Douglas who primarily teaches health but switches in as a PE teacher from time to time. Leading the department is Mr. Johnson, the athletic director for the high school. 

Now we head into the student-asked questions.

What is your favorite unit to teach in your gym classes? Why? 

He stated that his two favorite units are nitroball and the dance unit. 

For those of you who have never experienced the nitroball, Mr. Arch explains “there are a lot of skills related to volleyball so when we work on the skills it’s fun to see the kids actually learn how to serve properly and improve” and explains that “It’s a big team game.”

Regarding the dance unit, on the other hand, Arch says he understands that “a lot of people don’t love dance, and I try to make it a fun environment and by the end of the unit, they typically love it.” He believes that being able to push people outside of their comfort zone during his class makes it that much more of a meaningful experience, rather than focusing on the heavily competitive environment that gym classes tend to promote.

Why do you think teaching kids more unconventional sports like nitroball is important? 

The high school gym curriculum focuses on life-long skills in particular, activities that you could do the rest of your life to stay active and fit. Therefore, Arch brings in a variety of sports most people don’t normally see in a gym class including pickleball, dance, jump roping, frisbee, and golf. 

“Because as you get older,” Arch explains, “people aren’t playing football, it’s typically more individualized sports or group exercise.”

What is something you would change about how the athletic program is carried out?

“Space is tough.” Arch admits. 

Mr. Arch explains that, while he respects his counterparts in the middle school athletic department, it’s difficult to give instructions on either side when the other is playing music or playing games which distract from the class at hand. “Sometimes,” Arch continues, “we even go into the auxiliary gym or a health classroom to give our instructions just so kids can hear us better ‘cause it gets kind of loud, especially when you have two middle school classes, it’s the end of day, and the kids are as loud and rambunctious as middle schoolers can get. It makes it a little difficult.”  

He preferred the design of the older school when the middle school had its own separate gym, “it was a quieter and nicer environment to teach in” when middle schoolers and high school students had been more separated.

What’s a unique fact about yourself that not many people know?

“ I started off as history teacher” he says, “[but] it just wasn’t my cup of tea”

“I loved teaching kids,” Arch explains, “but I didn’t love all the extra things that came with that.” Rather than spending time with his students and helping them learn, he found himself dedicating more time grading papers and attending student-teacher conferences. 

“ What I love to do is be in a class with kids and interact with them, make connections with them, and I love the coaching aspect” of being part of the school’s athletic department as well. It also didn’t fit in with his active lifestyle, which he felt he couldn’t incorporate while lecturing or grading assignments. Ultimately, his checklist for a dream job landed him at NRHS, and our school is undoubtedly beyond lucky to have a teacher so dedicated to his line of work. He makes his corner of the school a safe space for students.  

What was a recent event headed by NRHS’s athletics program?

As March Madness was rounded off, Arch detailed how the Student v. Teacher Basketball Game on March 11th was a resounding success; he always appreciates a little in-school rivalry. He also mentioned the 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament on March 13th which he describes as the perfect way to celebrate the annual thrills of March Madness. 

As one final tidbit, Arch described one of his most enjoyable classes to teach: Fitness in the 21st Century. It is a  junior and senior elective where, Arch explains, “ We go deeper into each unit of life-long fitness.” With training in the fitness center for half of the year, he believes the course would be very beneficial for student athletes training for their upcoming seasons. In addition, he encourages students who aren’t as active to join as well because it presents an “opportunity to get a good workout in during the day… where normally [students] wouldn’t be able to.”  

It’s evident from his colorful persona that Arch works extremely hard to make sure that his students feel comfortable in the space that he creates for them in the gym. As such, he uses his position as a teacher to inspire students to live healthy lives. It is a position he believes is an honor to hold.