Can you recount a memorable Haverford faculty member?
There are many faculty members who left substantial impressions, but one who increasingly stands out as I get older is Mr. Cunningham. He was our middle school principal - talk about a difficult job - and filled in whenever and wherever the School needed him. It isn't a classroom lesson, but rather life lessons that Mr. Cunningham exemplified. His calmness in chaos, his kindness, his positive attitude, and his respect for us as young men were lost on me during middle school, but looking back, these are critical skills for life.
I remember one time in sixth grade, I was running to the cafeteria and attempted to jump over one of the walls between Crosman and the lunch room front door. I didn't fully make it. My back leg dragged behind me, slamming into the top of the flagstone mid-shin and cutting my leg wide open (I still have a great scar). It took me a second to realize what happened and then when I started feeling the pain, I didn't know what to do. I hobbled back toward Crosman and luckily, Mr. Cunningham was walking out of the building. He picked me up, rushed me to the nurse, dealt with getting me to the ER, handled my parents, and made a painful (and kinda scary) situation as easy as it could be. When I came back to school the next day, I was pretty embarrassed, but Mr. Cunningham made me laugh about the situation and put me at ease. He was the type of person we all hope to be.
