By: Katelyn Spicer
When you walk into the classroom of Matthew Campolmi, an English III teacher at Ardrey Kell, you’re walking into an experience. English is not always the most exciting class for students, but when you have Campolmi, that 80 minute block is never dull, and his quirkiness shines through.
The first quirk you might notice when you take a look around the classroom is the posters on the walls. Vintage album covers, including Pink Floyd’s Ummagumma from 1969, as well as their Dark Side of the Moon record from 1973, The Clash’s London Calling, released in 1979, give his walls a classic rock vibe. As a lover of music from the 70s myself, I previously knew about many of the bands he has in his room, but I had never heard of Ummmagumma so I went home and listened to it, and I’m glad I did.
On certain days, if you’re lucky, he might greet you from behind one of the two masks that usually hang from his white board, one green and one black. At first many of his students questioned why he wore a mask over his glasses, but eventually everyone just accepted it. Everyone soon realized it was just Campolmi being Campolmi.
Some teachers have laser pointers, and some use meter sticks, but not Campolmi. When anything needs a little extra emphasis, he simply whips out a huge wooden sword. No one’s really sure why, but your eyes definitely follow it whenever he uses it.
Some days in English are slower than others, but don’t worry because Campolmi has a way of catching your attention. When you least expect it you’ll see something fly through the classroom out of the corner of your eye: that would be because at this point he has probably brought out his catapult. The catapult makes rare appearances here and there, but it’s always an attention getter.
One of the greatest mysteries of Campolmi and his classroom begins when he leaves for the day. There is a green light bulb that sits behind his desk, and he always makes sure to open his blinds and turn it on. If you’re driving by Ardrey Kell at night you might see it shining through a third floor window. The green light has sparked an interest in many of his students, causing many of them to think that it is related to The Great Gatsby, a classic American novel. When questioned about it Campolmi had no comment. We may never know what it means, but it it’s fun trying to figure it out.
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