Good Morning, Reading Public School Families,
It is with great sadness that I share with you that recently retired Coolidge Middle School Teacher, John McCarthy, passed away yesterday afternoon following his courageous battle with cancer.  John was a Science Teacher and Science Olympiad Team Coach at Coolidge Middle School for over 20 years and touched the lives of hundreds of children as well as numbers of colleagues, both at Coolidge and also in his early years as an educator at Austin Prep.  Especially for those of you whose older children might have known or had John at Coolidge, and surely for those on the Science Olympiad Team, you know what an amazing spirit he had and how passionately he shared his love of science and teaching with all of his students, the parents, and staff.

We do not know the service arrangements at this time and we will provide more information once it becomes available.

Although this is a sad time for all of,us John’s strong spirit and inspiration will be with us forever.  Please keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.  Also, please keep the Coolidge staff and Coolidge and High School students, as well as alumni in your thoughts as they have just lost a colleague, a mentor, a friend, and a teacher.