As students file into class, the screen projects the day’s plans as an ’80s rock song blares, foreshadowing the discussions to come. At the front of the room stands AP literature and humanities teacher David Townsend as he offers books to his students that he will no longer need as he prepares to step away from teaching.

After 19 years working at RHS, Townsend will be retiring with the class of 2025 after teaching literature and humanities throughout his career. He served for six years as the department chair.

“I love being in the classroom,” Townsend said. “I love the energy of the students. 
I learn as much or more from them than I do from myself, and I will miss that. I think I’ll start feeling old a lot faster.”

Known for his eccentricity and can-do attitude, Townsend builds a strong community in his classroom. He teaches his students to question the world around them and instills a desire to continue learning more.

“I feel like he approaches teaching from a perspective of cultivating a kind of environment where people can share their own thoughts and what they think about the world without being judged by others,” senior Damian Knowles said.

His fellow teachers have developed a high amount of respect for him and his dedication to the English department. English teacher Michael Hill was hired shortly after Townsend, and the mentorship he received from him helped him in and out of the classroom.

“Any time I needed advice, I could go ask him and he always had an answer,” Hill said. “He always had a suggestion, a thought, something new to try. He never just shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘well, that’s tough.'”

Once retired, Townsend plans on traveling and focusing on community-based service, though he will still be stopping by for the occasional need for a substitute teacher or to help out one of his colleagues.

While Townsend might be remembered for a variety of reasons, like his unique teaching style, boisterous nature, or his class experiments with Twinkie’s, it is his care for his students and school that will not be forgotten after he leaves.

“My motto is to be just a little bit better every day,” Townsend said. “If I can in some way inspire my students to love learning, then their lives will never be dull.”