“English was my strong suit. And I just felt like hey, this thing that I love is maybe what I’m best at,” said Pat Mooney, one of Berkeley’s new ninth and tenth-grade English teacher. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Mooney attended Boston College, where he majored in English and minored in Economics. “I’ve always loved reading, so I wanted to do something that balanced out English and history,” he said. 

After living in Baltimore for many years, Mooney wanted to move somewhere different and fun. He was drawn to Berkeley because he thought he would fit in nicely with the community. “In a lot of ways, I felt like I would be well-suited for the position,” he said. Even before he began teaching, Mooney considered Berkeley to be a welcoming and friendly environment. His favorite events that take place here are the convocations on Friday mornings. 

Outside of teaching, Mooney enjoys traveling and playing with his four nieces and nephews. One of his best travel experiences was living in Barcelona, Spain, for a semester abroad. While he may plan to do more traveling in the future, Mooney is content to stay in Tampa for now, especially after living through his first hurricane here. He laughed and said, “Now I’m a true Floridian!”