Delbarton is driven by the people who make up our community—students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni—each with his or her unique story. Humans of Delbarton brings those stories to light through a series of personal profiles that capture the heart of who we are. This ongoing series celebrates the diverse voices and experiences that define Delbarton.

Meet Delbarton Learning Specialist Mr. Rob Flynn:

Growing up in Fairfield, CT, then moving to Mountain Lakes, NJ, Flynn explored a variety of topics and interests from a young age. "I was a little late to the lacrosse game at Mountain Lakes but had a great experience playing football and participating in the drama and musical productions, both onstage and behind-the-scenes." Key mentors helped shape his path to education, including legendary football coach Doug Wilkins and his high school English teacher Jerome Leonardi, who brought a coach’s energy to the theater. At Trinity College, American Studies professor Louis Masur left a lasting impact with his accessible, idea-driven teaching. A challenge to read Moby-Dick sparked Flynn’s fascination with the novel and led to a senior thesis on Ahab and insanity in antebellum America. While applying to doctoral programs, he began searching for a temporary teaching role—one that ultimately led him to Delbarton.

As a Morris County local and a soon-to-be college graduate, Flynn noticed that Delbarton was looking for an American Literature teacher, a football coach, and someone to help with the winter musical—all roles that aligned perfectly with his skills and passions. He checked every box and was soon hired to join the Green Wave. "Even now, I find the challenge of delivering high-level teaching to such capable students and coaching football in such a challenging schedule to be an amazing combination of experiences," he says. "I don’t know any school where the standard is so high in both areas, and where you have such amazing teachers to learn from, along with hall-of-fame coaches."

As he begins his fifth year as Delbarton's Learning Specialist, Flynn wears many hats. "On the one hand, it’s an academic support position, but it’s also working to make sure our academic program is accessible to all of our students, despite any disabilities or learning impairments they have," he says. "I think mostly it’s really just a lot of listening and trying to understand what is happening with a student, and also the teacher to get a sense of what the classroom environment is, and how to support both the student and teacher." Every freshman student takes Mr. Flynn's Study Skills course as they learn methods to set themselves up for academic success at Delbarton. "I get to work with these kids for over four years, and so many classes, so we really develop a close relationship," he says. "I learn so much from the kids, and it’s awesome to have that final meeting where we talk about transitioning them to whatever college they got into."

Between coaching football and lacrosse, and working on the winter musicals, Flynn interacts with many students in all areas of school life. "When I started at Delbarton, I was taught that the teacher/coach model allowed you to have these multifaceted relationships with the students that build on each other, and I truly believe that," he says. "I can think of a current student that I coached in middle school, who was in my advisory group and then taught as a sophomore. I’ve seen him grow in such a meaningful way. It’s awesome." Since his arrival at Delbarton, Flynn has followed a cycle of extracurricular activities: fall begins with his involvement in football coaching, followed by work on the winter musical, and concludes during the spring season with middle school lacrosse. Each season brings on a new mindset. "For example, going from being a part of the football staff to working on the winter musical is a totally different set of skills and challenges," he says. "The musical is so much work, but it’s much more open and creative. It builds and builds to one weekend, whereas football is this daily grind of work throughout a season."

Throughout his time working on the winter musicals, some of his favorite shows include the Abbey Players' 2014 production of West Side Story, Big Fish in 2018, and Something Rotten in 2022. He is impressed by the hard work of his colleagues Pete O’Connell and Matt Corica. "They do so much of the heavy lifting and planning for the technical part of the musical," says Flynn. "Mr. O'Connell does an amazing job with his creativity and his execution and the way he works with the kids, so it’s great for me to just be able to help where I can."

Flynn also mentors the Delbarton faculty by sharing teaching tips and best practices throughout the year. Each Monday during the school year, he sends out a Monday Morsel to all faculty and staff. This brief, weekly email is designed to share insights or strategies among colleagues and spark creative problem-solving. "The Monday Morsel is a big undertaking that has allowed me to be aware of what is going on in the building," he says. "What needs should I address? What was happening to our kids in the classroom? What problems were teachers having? Many of my emails are just sharing what some teachers already do, so it keeps my ear to the ground."

In his free time, Flynn is an avid reader, something as an English teacher he also tries to instill in his students. He reads approximately 70 books a year across a variety of genres like fiction, memoir, fantasy, and educational texts. Fun fact: he’s read 55 of Stephen King’s 65 books and considers King a critically underappreciated master. “I think later generations of scholars are going to consider him as a kind of combination between Faulkner and Dickens," says Flynn. "But that’s just my opinion—as my students know, everyone is entitled to have their own tastes!” Beyond reading, Rob enjoys life in Morristown with his family, works in his yard, makes homemade pizza once a week, and cheers on his two sons at swim meets and baseball games.

We’re grateful to Rob Flynn for all he brings to the Delbarton community—on the field, in the classroom, on stage, and beyond. We wish him and the Green Wave Football program the best of luck this fall!

Stay tuned for our next HOD spotlight coming soon.