OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — More than 50 years after teaching at Oshkosh West High School, the district plans to honor Tom Lynch’s career by naming the theater after him.
- Tom Lynch was a theater, English and forensics teacher from 1972-2001.
- Lynch is now retired, but his impact is still reaching students today.
- Current Oshkosh West theater teacher, Scotti Thurwatcher, became a teacher because of the effect Lynch had on him in school.
Scotti Thurwatcher, the theater teacher at Oshkosh West High School, hopes to create a community in the classroom.
“Where kids feel a sense of comfort, where they can be themselves,” he says.
It comes natural now, but he wasn’t always a teacher. For many years, Thurwatcher worked in the restaurant industry.
It was 15 years ago that Thurwatcher decided he needed a change of career.
“I said, I want to be Mr. Lynch," he says.
He planned to follow in the footsteps of Tom Lynch, his theater teacher and forensics coach from high school.
“I couldn’t get enough of Mr. Lynch, I was always around him in some capacity," Thurwatcher says. “I really try to honestly make him proud.”
The impact Lynch had followed Thurwatcher into the classroom today.
“He had this way of making you understand that you were good enough,” he says. “Me coming back and just wanting to have that same impact.”
Tom Lynch taught for almost 30 years. He directed 35 plays and won USA Today's Teacher of the Year in 2000.
He was also Oshkosh’s High School Teacher of the Year in 1992, he served as the announcer during football and basketball games, and he had a perfect attendance record throughout his career, according to the district.
“He’s just such an extraordinary guy,” Thurwatcher says.
For Teacher’s Appreciation Week, the district has decided to rename the Oshkosh West theater room, the Tom Lynch Little Theater.
“If you ask me, I think we should name the whole city Tom Lynch, the whole school Tom Lynch,” Thurwatcher says. “You just cannot honor him enough.”
Lynch said in a statement:
"I have been blessed. We didn't know at the time that we were making a difference, changing lives and making memories...we just knew we were safe, working hard and having fun."
The district is hosting a public dedication ceremony on Saturday, May 10 from 1-3 p.m. Lynch will be in attendance.
