The Black and White

By: Bridget Pouliot

“The best thing [about Mr. Lawton’s class] is that you can tell he’s really devoted to teaching, and he wants people to share their thoughts and really think about what we’re reading and how we can take that advice into the real world,” junior Rory Kelaghan, who’s currently in Mr. Lawton’s English 3 AP class, explained. “My favorite part is how he acts out book scenes. It really engages everyone.”

Junior Kaylee Lowe, who had Mr. Lawton when she was a freshman, stated, “I liked how he tried to include everyone. When he held class discussions, he encouraged everyone to participate.” She included how she liked that they talked over what they read and what it meant after they finished sections of a book.

“You can’t just stop at calling him a “teacher” because I think what he does goes beyond that,” senior Kamryn Gavin, who was in Mr. Lawton’s class as both a freshman and a junior, expressed. “He’s an advisor,  mentor, and a great person to sit down and have a chat with. He takes teaching beyond something he enjoys and into something that ignites passion for learning and knowing more within students.”

In June of 2024, a group of Warwick schools teachers gathered in the Warwick Vets Middle School auditorium. While all of these teachers are outstanding examples of amazing teachers in the Warwick School Department, one came out of the assembly named District Teacher of the Year: Pilgrim’s very own Mr. Jeffrey Lawton.

“Dr. Guerra and I thought that with the AP scores, he would be a great nominee,” Mr. Gibbons stated. “As well as his involvement in NHS, and his student-centered, thorough, and caring approach to teaching.”

While Mr. Lawton is in his 25th year of teaching, this was not his first choice for a job. “I always liked being able to show people how to do things, even outside of the classroom,” he explained. “My wife (who is a teacher herself) was the one who encouraged me to become a teacher.”

Outside of the classroom, Mr. Lawton likes to be active. He used to run competitively, and currently enjoys running recreationally. He enjoys sports, such as skiing, along with the beach, reading, and watching TV. “If I am outside, I’m happy,” he explained.

Mr. Lawton’s favorite part about Pilgrim is the comradery he shares with his colleagues. Before coming to Pilgrim, he was a teacher at Warwick Veterans Memorial Middle School. He said that knowing a lot of the teachers who were moving from Vets to Pilgrim with him made the move much smoother, as well as the fact that both of his sons attended Pilgrim prior to consolidation, meaning he knew teachers from that too. 

If Mr. Lawton could give any advice to new or up-and-coming teachers, it would be to “be yourself and be genuine. For example, I try to joke a lot because I like it. Students see through teachers if they’re not genuine,” he explained.

“Teacher’s can’t just ‘act like a teacher’; we have to be ourselves.”