I will always cherish watching you watch a play from the back door of the auditorium. You got such enjoyment viewing the end results of everyone's hard work. And your face was awash with pride. You have made the world a better, place, John. And we all thank you. Sue Ritchie
i honestly dont think i could ever say thank you enough for what you've done for me. you're an amazing human being who has made everyone that knows or has met you a better person. thank you for all those independent studies and letting me sleep on the green room couch all those times. i bet my purple ariel blanket is still in the green room somewhere...in a costume closet or something.
As a student, I definitely thought you were the best, you were the class at the end of the day that I survived until. Now, as a parent I realize, just what an opportunity it was for me to have you guide, inspire, and give each one of us that personal recognition that you tirelessly did on a daily basis. I am so grateful. I can only hope that you know just how many lives you've touched, it's exponential! Kathleen(Lennon)Yuska '93
Greetings from South Africa. Since college, I pursued the public health field, and have been traveling and working in Africa and the Middle East for the last few years. Sadly, there are not as many opportunities to combine my field and musical theatre as I would like, but I am amazed at how many times throughout the course of my work that I have looked back and thanked heaven that I was in the high school drama club (and people can usually tell, by how often I hug them).
I have both a sense of self-confidence and humility, a strong work ethic that keeps me going even when I feel like I'll never get it right, a love of and true appreciation for the amazing things that can happen through collaboration and team work, and most importantly, I've kept my silliness, spontaneity, and creative energy alive--all of which I learned while a student under your patient and inspiring direction. You were also there during some pretty big milestones--like directing my first kiss at a dress rehearsal!
Thank you so much for what you gave to me and all of your students over the years. Hingham High is at a great loss without you.
Mr Higgins , you were my wonderful drama teacher back at Central Jr High. I'd just like to take the time to congradulate you on all your success and wish you all the best in your retirement. You were and still are an inspiration. Thank you and Enjoy your well deserved break !!!!
Mr. Higgins: You were a great teacher from South Junior High, Hingham Junior High, Hingham Middle School, and the Hingham High School. We would take this time to congrats on your retirement and we wish you the very best!!! From, Carole, Michelle, Wendy, and Julie Spannagel
Mr.Higgins, It was truly an honor to work with you during my 4 years at HHS. Some of my favorite memories involve the drama club, the plays we put on, going to your class, etc. You have the wonderful ability to make people feel truly special and unique. You are such a kind, fun, hard working and amazing teacher. We all value how much you cared about us as students and all the time you spent helping us to learn, grow and have fun.
Best of luck in the future, you will always be fondly remembered as my favorite teacher.
Mr. Higgins- Thank you for giving us the opportunity to just be ourselves and helping us get through those long days at HHS! Have a wonderful retirement!
When I think about your many admirable qualities, John, I think particularly about how beautifully you see the potential in people, not just in auditions or class, but everyone you meet on the stage of life. Seeing the clay in its roughest form, and shaping it with love into not only a work of art, but inspiring it to greater heights - that is a true teacher. We all can only aspire to your shining example of an educator and a friend.
Congratulations on 35 full years! What great things you have done - and have yet to do!
I believe that teachers shape lives. And I want to thank you for shaping mine. You are a truly amazing teacher who nurtured the talent of every student. Have the best retirement ever.
Love and Lemon Liniment, Karen (Bartholomew) Trackman
My favorite Mr. Higgins, I have come to believe that the best thing we can do in life is to try and positively impact other peoples' lives. I think it is safe to say you have done that. Congratulations! Love, Your favorite Liz Szyman
Mr. Higgins, Thanks for all the hard work you did at HHS! My best memories from high school are from the drama club, the fall musical, and festival. What a break it was from the scary world to walk into that auditorium. The first time I experienced that joy was when I was 10 years old, watching one of Mike's rehearsals, and I was immediately hooked. Thanks for giving us the chance to experience something awesome, and have a fantastic, relaxing, well-deserved break!! love, Abby Bird ('00)
John, you are one of the reasons I'm a theatre teacher today. Working with you as a student teacher was inspirational, very fun and an experience that has helped form the sort of teacher I am. I still play Twizzle with many of my students! They have even added a second level! I hope retirement brings you new opportunities to enjoy life at a slightly more relaxed pace. All the best and much more, Jodi Clark
Thank you so much for all those years of watching my children and their friends have a wonderful time on stage, behind it, and in the audience. You really know how to make people feel special and accepted and to do things they never knew they could. Thanks again. Johanna Seelen
Mr. Higgins! Thank you for encouraging creativity from all your students! I remember my first day of high school, being so nervous, and then going to drama class and feeling completely at home. Your classroom was always a place to be free , learn and have fun. I still carry these memories with me. Though it is tough sometimes being an actress in New York, it is always worth it to be at "home" on the stage. Thank you again! Love, Margo Littlefield ('01)
There is no way to thank you enough for creating a "home away from home" for all of your students throughout the years. You have had a significant impact on my life and upon the lives of each one of your students. I'm sure Hingham High will definately not be the same without you!
even though i havent got to spend as much time with you as much as the many other lucky people in hingham high school i can most definatly say you have impacted my life just as much if not more and i dont think that even if i spent every single waking moment of every single day for the rest of my life it would amount to half of what you have done for me.
Although drama was never my primary focus, I really appreciate the sense of care and fun you put into producing our high school plays. It was such a thrill to experience drama through you, and my high school memories will always be tied to drama club. I'm sorry to say that I'm in rural Utah for the summer and won't be able to see you, but know that I am pursuing a degree in elementary education so that I might hope to learn how to instill a love of learning in all students, just as you did.
Thank you for making all of your students' lives a little brighter.
Mr. Higgins, I remember when you saw something in me that no one else did. Thanks for giving me that chance to be the lead It ended up being much more than a role. Max Kirby - HHS '07
Well, well, well. I find myself a little bit speechless as I attempt to write something profound... Something full of memories and touching farewells. It feels a little like I'm writing in my ex-girlfriends yearbook and thinking about how I still have her Meatloaf CD's.
Which I think is somewhat emblematic of our my relationship to you. I guess I feel like I owe you something...although I think it's probably better than a Mealoaf CD.
I'm currently writing this from Bangkok, Thailand where I'm working with my theater company teaching at an Artist Intensive. I must admit that I never thought my four years with you would have ever lead me here. BUT, looking back, I think I've now realized how it all happened.
You don't teach drama...not exclusively anyways. I mean, yes, you teach us what "blocking" is, what a source-4 is, and leave us a mean competitive edge from endless "zip zap zop" and "Twizzle", but what you REALLY teach is possibliity.
The imagination we so readily invoked in your class isn't a skill for a career, but rather one for life. In your class, you fostered endless creative thought and bestowed on us the knowledge that anything is possible. And FYI, that knowledge and creativity extends far beyond the reaches of the HHS auditorium. You weren't concerned with our 16 bars of an uptempo or our "look". You understood that by providing us with the space to do just about anything, that THAT, in and of itself, was much better preparation for life than any Shakespeare monologue could be.
You taught me that if I could dream it, then it was possible. You have not shaped the lives of your students, you have informed them and empowered them to shape their own. THAT is why I say thank-you. From me, my family, and my peers...I owe you one.
Mr. Higgins, You are so forgiving, and I just wanted to thank you for that and tell you that drama class was one of the highlights of my day. Have a great retirement and hopefully I'll see you soon. -Amanda Kaulins
Thank you for your patience, your creativity, your understanding, and your energy. You are one of the amazing few in this world who has improved the lives of countless students and families by being yourself!
Hi John, I feel so blessed that both of my daughters had you for a teacher. You have truly made a difference in their lives and in the lives of many, many others. Of all the careers you could have had, you chose to teach and in some kind of ripple effect you have inspired many of your former students to go on and become teachers. What better recognition can there be?
I discovered a passion for acting in Hingham Middle School with Anita Levy-Sisk and yourself. In High School, theater was the only extracurricular that captured my interest. Your coaching and encouragement brought devoted work out of a lazy kid. Your attitude fostered a welcoming environment which made an awkward kid comfortable. But you know what? You gave something even bigger to that kid over 5 years ago: confidence.
Coming out of HHS, I was sure that I would always continue to act in some capacity, on the side, in my free time, as an extra or in commercials or community theater. I was dead wrong. What I wasn't counting on -- and could never have predicted -- was that this very same passion for success would bleed into every other aspect of my life.
It is said that the best way to make an expert out of someone is to give them a little taste of success, to bring in a crowd of people who will applaud and compliment them. And then you ask them for even more; you tell them they can do better. John was -- John is -- a master of this dance, the balancing act between praise and criticism.
The amazing thing was that John consciously and carefully crafted this nurturing environment with these very things in mind. He staunchly believed and has said before that a warm attitude draws out excellence in students. Well, I am further proof of the wonders that a stage and an audience can do. In college I was free to pursue my passions, theater and otherwise. I cultivated my talents for the sciences. A love for drama developed into a love for literature (which is why this message, like all my writing, has become far too long-winded). Communication skills learned on the stage percolated into other areas of my life; and so I became intrigued by business, law, politics. I want to do everything and I can trace this gung-ho confidence all the way back to the HHS auditorium.
I might not act anymore, but it's those other skills that represent a cornerstone of my personality which I will never be without. And I couldn't possibly thank you enough.
Dear Mr. Higgins, Thank you for your acceptance, encouragement and sense of humor along the way. The amazing community that you fostered in the drama club created a space for so many young people to be themselves (myself included), and that is a feat not easily accomplished. Congratulations and thanks! Love, Adam Read-Brown
Thank you for being an integral part of my years at HHS. You and the drama club were so very important to me. I am a better person for having known you. Have a wonderful retirement.
It was such an honor to be in the drama club for your last year as director. Obviously, you will be missed, but we think it’s safe to say that you’ll always be around. A shade of you will always remain through the influence you had on us and all of your students. You’re presence will never wholly fade from the stage, from the green room, or from the Hingham High Drama Club, and not just because we expect you to come back as an audience member for future shows, but because your positive spirit and understanding disposition will live on in the attitudes of all the students made better by your direction. Thank you so much for always encouraging us to do our best and for continuing to push us through your final days. And if nothing else, you’ll always be a snappy dresser.
Mr. Higgins: I heard through the grapevine that you are retiring this year! I want to wish you a happy retirement and thank you for all you did for me in high school. I remember the faith you had in your students, the creativity you inspired, and the tolerance you promoted among all students. What an incredible legacy you've left. What giant shoes to fill. Elizabeth Olson '98
Mr. Higgins, I can't say thank you enough for all you have done. I looked forward to drama classes and rehearsals more than anything else because I felt so comfortable there. The skills I learned there have helped me so much in other scenarios. Without the drama trips I wouldn't have fallen so in love with New York, where so many doors have opened for me lately. I may not be aiming to live up to any of my Higgie predictions, such as the next Jerry Springer, but your encouragement, belief and trust in me have made me realize anything is possible. Thank you, everything you have taught me will always be with me. Have a happy retirement!
Dear Mr. Higgins, When I heard of your retirement, my distant memories of CJH and HHS all came rushing back to me. Bittersweet memories of youth and angst all mixed together, making up I guess what is called adolescence. Thank you so much for making drama class the safe haven of my day...going to the refuge of the stage was the high point of my "A" day or "B" day. I learned so much from you and your classes, and I felt as if I truly belonged or fit in somewhere in the chaos of teenage life. Thank you for providing that for many of your students. I will always hold my drama class moments dear in my heart. Congratulations on so many, many years of hard work. Love, BJ Gorczyca (Milley) '87
I may never entirely get used to calling you "John", and that is because my years at HHS with you as my teacher were so pivotal and iconic. Your role as "Mr. Higgins - Drama Teacher" was so much more than those four words can embody, and I thank you for every bit of help that you gave me to help me find my way.
When I tentatively followed my friends into a career in Drama I had no idea that I could go from being that awkward chorus member in 42nd Street who can't dance to being the one of the main characters of Les Miserables (and not just any character - the villain! How cool!).
Your calm assurance and sage acting advice has been able to make countless High School performances into so much more, and you are a living example proving that we can ALL be "so much more".
Thank you, and enjoy your retirement to its fullest! ~Ricky Hawkins, '03
When I first saw the Festival performance of "Gwendolyn" back in 1994, at the age of 9, I remember saying to myself "I want to do that!" In the years that followed, my sister would constantly talk about the High School Drama Club: the classes, the performances, the trips, and how great everybody was, especially you. Soon after, James joined her in the obsession, and I lived vicariously through both of them, eagerly awaiting the day when I would finally get a taste of what the HHS Drama Club really was like. Your Storybook theatre class at Derby Summer Arts Camp was simply not enough... I wanted to be a superhuman High School Drama Geek!
In 1999, I finally got to the high school, and I did everything I could to be involved. After a couple years, I eventually realized that what my brother and sister experienced with you was not going to be the same as me. There were times when I would say to myself, "well, Amanda did this, so why can't I?", or "James got this, why not me?" What started out as me trying to relive what my older siblings lived through, turned into something much greater...
I wasn't going to be exactly like my siblings... I wasn't going to be like anyone else... except me. Your wisdom taught me that trying to be like (or better than) someone else is just a waste of time, and that I need to do what makes ME happy, and to not worry about what anyone else thinks or says about it. I may not have always gotten the officer position I wanted, or the part I wanted, or the award I wanted, or this, or that. But in the end, none of that matters, because I left with experiences and lessons that will be with me for the rest of my life... friends that I will have for the rest of my life... and the ability to get up in front of people and share who I really was.
You have done more for me than you will ever know, and if I did not have you during my high school experience, I would be lost. You helped me find myself, and find what was important in life... community and passion. Thank-you for all of your work, you will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.
I hope that you had an exceptional, memory filled retirement party. I wish that I could have been there to see you, thank you, and wish you a happy (and well deserved) retirement.
I can say with complete certainty that you changed my life. The opportunities and responsibilities that you gave me on stage have transcended the years and helped make me the adult that I now am.
You taught me to have confidence, compassion, purpose, direction, and most of all grace.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Cheers to you Mr. Higgins! Love, Caitlyn Harvey (Adelaide and Reno Sweeny) '97
To honor the impact John has had on hundreds and hundreds of students, a scholarship fund has been established in his name. If you wish to contribute, please send a check (addressed and made out) to:
Town of Hingham/Higgins Scholarship c/o Hingham High School 17 Union St. Hingham, MA 02043
39 comments:
Michael Bird here - looking forward to the big event.
I will always cherish watching you watch a play from the back door of the auditorium. You got such enjoyment viewing the end results of everyone's hard work. And your face was awash with pride. You have made the world a better, place, John. And we all thank you.
Sue Ritchie
mr higgins
i honestly dont think i could ever say thank you enough for what you've done for me. you're an amazing human being who has made everyone that knows or has met you a better person. thank you for all those independent studies and letting me sleep on the green room couch all those times. i bet my purple ariel blanket is still in the green room somewhere...in a costume closet or something.
see you soon!
love love love
ariel thibault
As a student, I definitely thought you were the best, you were the class at the end of the day that I survived until. Now, as a parent I realize, just what an opportunity it was for me to have you guide, inspire, and give each one of us that personal recognition that you tirelessly did on a daily basis. I am so grateful. I can only hope that you know just how many lives you've touched, it's exponential!
Kathleen(Lennon)Yuska '93
Dear John,
Greetings from South Africa. Since college, I pursued the public health field, and have been traveling and working in Africa and the Middle East for the last few years. Sadly, there are not as many opportunities to combine my field and musical theatre as I would like, but I am amazed at how many times throughout the course of my work that I have looked back and thanked heaven that I was in the high school drama club (and people can usually tell, by how often I hug them).
I have both a sense of self-confidence and humility, a strong work ethic that keeps me going even when I feel like I'll never get it right, a love of and true appreciation for the amazing things that can happen through collaboration and team work, and most importantly, I've kept my silliness, spontaneity, and creative energy alive--all of which I learned while a student under your patient and inspiring direction. You were also there during some pretty big milestones--like directing my first kiss at a dress rehearsal!
Thank you so much for what you gave to me and all of your students over the years. Hingham High is at a great loss without you.
Elizabeth Arend, HHS 1998
Mr Higgins , you were my wonderful drama teacher back at Central Jr High.
I'd just like to take the time to congradulate you on all your success and
wish you all the best in your retirement. You were and still are an inspiration.
Thank you and Enjoy your well deserved break !!!!
Chris B
Mr. Higgins:
You were a great teacher from South Junior High, Hingham Junior High, Hingham Middle School, and the Hingham High School. We would take this time to congrats on your retirement and we wish you the very best!!!
From,
Carole, Michelle, Wendy, and Julie Spannagel
Mr.Higgins,
It was truly an honor to work with you during my 4 years at HHS. Some of my favorite memories involve the drama club, the plays we put on, going to your class, etc. You have the wonderful ability to make people feel truly special and unique. You are such a kind, fun, hard working and amazing teacher. We all value how much you cared about us as students and all the time you spent helping us to learn, grow and have fun.
Best of luck in the future, you will always be fondly remembered as my favorite teacher.
-Elizabeth Ritchie (HHS Class of 2004)
Mr. Higgins-
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to just be ourselves and helping us get through those long days at HHS! Have a wonderful retirement!
Love, Molly Keif
When I think about your many admirable qualities, John, I think particularly about how beautifully you see the potential in people, not just in auditions or class, but everyone you meet on the stage of life. Seeing the clay in its roughest form, and shaping it with love into not only a work of art, but inspiring it to greater heights - that is a true teacher. We all can only aspire to your shining example of an educator and a friend.
Congratulations on 35 full years! What great things you have done - and have yet to do!
Best Regards,
Maureen (Mo) Fish
Dear Mr. Higgins,
I believe that teachers shape lives. And I want to thank you for shaping mine. You are a truly amazing teacher who nurtured the talent of every student. Have the best retirement ever.
Love and Lemon Liniment,
Karen (Bartholomew) Trackman
My favorite Mr. Higgins,
I have come to believe that the best thing we can do in life is to try and positively impact other peoples' lives. I think it is safe to say you have done that. Congratulations!
Love,
Your favorite Liz Szyman
Mr. Higgins,
Thanks for all the hard work you did at HHS! My best memories from high school are from the drama club, the fall musical, and festival. What a break it was from the scary world to walk into that auditorium. The first time I experienced that joy was when I was 10 years old, watching one of Mike's rehearsals, and I was immediately hooked. Thanks for giving us the chance to experience something awesome, and have a fantastic, relaxing, well-deserved break!! love, Abby Bird ('00)
John, you are one of the reasons I'm a theatre teacher today. Working with you as a student teacher was inspirational, very fun and an experience that has helped form the sort of teacher I am. I still play Twizzle with many of my students! They have even added a second level!
I hope retirement brings you new opportunities to enjoy life at a slightly more relaxed pace.
All the best and much more,
Jodi Clark
Thank you so much for all those years of watching my children and their friends have a wonderful time on stage, behind it, and in the audience. You really know how to make people feel special and accepted and to do things they never knew they could. Thanks again.
Johanna Seelen
Mr. Higgins!
Thank you for encouraging creativity from all your students! I remember my first day of high school, being so nervous, and then going to drama class and feeling completely at home. Your classroom was always a place to be free , learn and have fun. I still carry these memories with me. Though it is tough sometimes being an actress in New York, it is always worth it to be at "home" on the stage.
Thank you again!
Love,
Margo Littlefield ('01)
Mr. Higgins,
There is no way to thank you enough for creating a "home away from home" for all of your students throughout the years. You have had a significant impact on my life and upon the lives of each one of your students. I'm sure Hingham High will definately not be the same without you!
Thanks Mr. Higgins!
Katelyn Carbone '04
even though i havent got to spend as much time with you as much as the many other lucky people in hingham high school i can most definatly say you have impacted my life just as much if not more and i dont think that even if i spent every single waking moment of every single day for the rest of my life it would amount to half of what you have done for me.
Mr. Higgins,
Although drama was never my primary focus, I really appreciate the sense of care and fun you put into producing our high school plays. It was such a thrill to experience drama through you, and my high school memories will always be tied to drama club. I'm sorry to say that I'm in rural Utah for the summer and won't be able to see you, but know that I am pursuing a degree in elementary education so that I might hope to learn how to instill a love of learning in all students, just as you did.
Thank you for making all of your students' lives a little brighter.
Best,
Erica Lindberg
Mr. Higgins,
I remember when you saw something in me that no one else did. Thanks for giving me that chance to be the lead It ended up being much more than a role.
Max Kirby - HHS '07
Well, well, well. I find myself a little bit speechless as I attempt to write something profound... Something full of memories and touching farewells. It feels a little like I'm writing in my ex-girlfriends yearbook and thinking about how I still have her Meatloaf CD's.
Which I think is somewhat emblematic of our my relationship to you. I guess I feel like I owe you something...although I think it's probably better than a Mealoaf CD.
I'm currently writing this from Bangkok, Thailand where I'm working with my theater company teaching at an Artist Intensive. I must admit that I never thought my four years with you would have ever lead me here. BUT, looking back, I think I've now realized how it all happened.
You don't teach drama...not exclusively anyways. I mean, yes, you teach us what "blocking" is, what a source-4 is, and leave us a mean competitive edge from endless "zip zap zop" and "Twizzle", but what you REALLY teach is possibliity.
The imagination we so readily invoked in your class isn't a skill for a career, but rather one for life. In your class, you fostered endless creative thought and bestowed on us the knowledge that anything is possible. And FYI, that knowledge and creativity extends far beyond the reaches of the HHS auditorium. You weren't concerned with our 16 bars of an uptempo or our "look". You understood that by providing us with the space to do just about anything, that THAT, in and of itself, was much better preparation for life than any Shakespeare monologue could be.
You taught me that if I could dream it, then it was possible. You have not shaped the lives of your students, you have informed them and empowered them to shape their own. THAT is why I say thank-you. From me, my family, and my peers...I owe you one.
Golf it up!
-Justin Nestor (Class of '03)
Mr. Higgins,
You are so forgiving, and I just wanted to thank you for that and tell you that drama class was one of the highlights of my day. Have a great retirement and hopefully I'll see you soon.
-Amanda Kaulins
Mr Higgins,
Thank you for your patience, your creativity, your understanding, and your energy. You are one of the amazing few in this world who has improved the lives of countless students and families by being yourself!
Love,
Danielle "Denkins" Jenkins '07
Hi John,
I feel so blessed that both of my daughters had you for a teacher. You have truly made a difference in their lives and in the lives of many, many others. Of all the careers you could have had, you chose to teach and in some kind of ripple effect you have inspired many of your former students to go on and become teachers. What better recognition can there be?
The Hingham drama program was a high point of my high school experience. Thank you for all your years of hard work and dedication.
- Kevin Talbot
Mr. John "Higgie" Higgins:
I discovered a passion for acting in Hingham Middle School with Anita Levy-Sisk and yourself. In High School, theater was the only extracurricular that captured my interest. Your coaching and encouragement brought devoted work out of a lazy kid. Your attitude fostered a welcoming environment which made an awkward kid comfortable. But you know what? You gave something even bigger to that kid over 5 years ago: confidence.
Coming out of HHS, I was sure that I would always continue to act in some capacity, on the side, in my free time, as an extra or in commercials or community theater. I was dead wrong. What I wasn't counting on -- and could never have predicted -- was that this very same passion for success would bleed into every other aspect of my life.
It is said that the best way to make an expert out of someone is to give them a little taste of success, to bring in a crowd of people who will applaud and compliment them. And then you ask them for even more; you tell them they can do better. John was -- John is -- a master of this dance, the balancing act between praise and criticism.
The amazing thing was that John consciously and carefully crafted this nurturing environment with these very things in mind. He staunchly believed and has said before that a warm attitude draws out excellence in students. Well, I am further proof of the wonders that a stage and an audience can do. In college I was free to pursue my passions, theater and otherwise. I cultivated my talents for the sciences. A love for drama developed into a love for literature (which is why this message, like all my writing, has become far too long-winded). Communication skills learned on the stage percolated into other areas of my life; and so I became intrigued by business, law, politics. I want to do everything and I can trace this gung-ho confidence all the way back to the HHS auditorium.
I might not act anymore, but it's those other skills that represent a cornerstone of my personality which I will never be without. And I couldn't possibly thank you enough.
Neil Traft '03
Dear Mr. Higgins,
Thank you for your acceptance, encouragement and sense of humor along the way. The amazing community that you fostered in the drama club created a space for so many young people to be themselves (myself included), and that is a feat not easily accomplished.
Congratulations and thanks!
Love,
Adam Read-Brown
Mr. Higgins,
Thank you for being an integral part of my years at HHS. You and the drama club were so very important to me. I am a better person for having known you. Have a wonderful retirement.
Jon Michaels '92
Mr. Higgins,
It was such an honor to be in the drama club for your last year as director. Obviously, you will be missed, but we think it’s safe to say that you’ll always be around. A shade of you will always remain through the influence you had on us and all of your students. You’re presence will never wholly fade from the stage, from the green room, or from the Hingham High Drama Club, and not just because we expect you to come back as an audience member for future shows, but because your positive spirit and understanding disposition will live on in the attitudes of all the students made better by your direction. Thank you so much for always encouraging us to do our best and for continuing to push us through your final days. And if nothing else, you’ll always be a snappy dresser.
Love from,
Jill Eddy ‘08
Erin Keif ‘10
Mr. Higgins: I heard through the grapevine that you are retiring this year! I want to wish you a happy retirement and thank you for all you did for me in high school. I remember the faith you had in your students, the creativity you inspired, and the tolerance you promoted among all students. What an incredible legacy you've left. What giant shoes to fill.
Elizabeth Olson '98
Thank you for all you did to help each and every kid to grow into the people they are today.
Happy Retirement,
Mary Beth Keif
Mr. Higgins,
I can't say thank you enough for all you have done. I looked forward to drama classes and rehearsals more than anything else because I felt so comfortable there. The skills I learned there have helped me so much in other scenarios.
Without the drama trips I wouldn't have fallen so in love with New York, where so many doors have opened for me lately.
I may not be aiming to live up to any of my Higgie predictions, such as the next Jerry Springer, but your encouragement, belief and trust in me have made me realize anything is possible.
Thank you, everything you have taught me will always be with me.
Have a happy retirement!
Courtney Donahue '04
Dear Mr. Higgins,
When I heard of your retirement, my distant memories of CJH and HHS all came rushing back to me. Bittersweet memories of youth and angst all mixed together, making up I guess what is called adolescence. Thank you so much for making drama class the safe haven of my day...going to the refuge of the stage was the high point of my "A" day or "B" day. I learned so much from you and your classes, and I felt as if I truly belonged or fit in somewhere in the chaos of teenage life. Thank you for providing that for many of your students. I will always hold my drama class moments dear in my heart. Congratulations on so many, many years of hard work.
Love, BJ Gorczyca (Milley) '87
Mr (John) Higgins,
I may never entirely get used to calling you "John", and that is because my years at HHS with you as my teacher were so pivotal and iconic. Your role as "Mr. Higgins - Drama Teacher" was so much more than those four words can embody, and I thank you for every bit of help that you gave me to help me find my way.
When I tentatively followed my friends into a career in Drama I had no idea that I could go from being that awkward chorus member in 42nd Street who can't dance to being the one of the main characters of Les Miserables (and not just any character - the villain! How cool!).
Your calm assurance and sage acting advice has been able to make countless High School performances into so much more, and you are a living example proving that we can ALL be "so much more".
Thank you, and enjoy your retirement to its fullest!
~Ricky Hawkins, '03
Higs,
When I first saw the Festival performance of "Gwendolyn" back in 1994, at the age of 9, I remember saying to myself "I want to do that!" In the years that followed, my sister would constantly talk about the High School Drama Club: the classes, the performances, the trips, and how great everybody was, especially you. Soon after, James joined her in the obsession, and I lived vicariously through both of them, eagerly awaiting the day when I would finally get a taste of what the HHS Drama Club really was like. Your Storybook theatre class at Derby Summer Arts Camp was simply not enough... I wanted to be a superhuman High School Drama Geek!
In 1999, I finally got to the high school, and I did everything I could to be involved. After a couple years, I eventually realized that what my brother and sister experienced with you was not going to be the same as me. There were times when I would say to myself, "well, Amanda did this, so why can't I?", or "James got this, why not me?" What started out as me trying to relive what my older siblings lived through, turned into something much greater...
I wasn't going to be exactly like my siblings... I wasn't going to be like anyone else... except me. Your wisdom taught me that trying to be like (or better than) someone else is just a waste of time, and that I need to do what makes ME happy, and to not worry about what anyone else thinks or says about it. I may not have always gotten the officer position I wanted, or the part I wanted, or the award I wanted, or this, or that. But in the end, none of that matters, because I left with experiences and lessons that will be with me for the rest of my life... friends that I will have for the rest of my life... and the ability to get up in front of people and share who I really was.
You have done more for me than you will ever know, and if I did not have you during my high school experience, I would be lost. You helped me find myself, and find what was important in life... community and passion. Thank-you for all of your work, you will be greatly missed, but never forgotten.
Much love always,
Joshua Diorio
Dear Mr.Higgins,
I hope that you had an exceptional, memory filled retirement party. I wish that I could have been there to see you, thank you, and wish you a happy (and well deserved) retirement.
I can say with complete certainty that you changed my life. The opportunities and responsibilities that you gave me on stage have transcended the years and helped make me the adult that I now am.
You taught me to have confidence, compassion, purpose, direction, and most of all grace.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Cheers to you Mr. Higgins!
Love,
Caitlyn Harvey (Adelaide and Reno Sweeny) '97
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