Charlestown High Teacher by Day, The Voice of Fenway by Night

By Alex Kalamaroff of Charlestown High School.

The voice you hear over the loudspeakers inside Fenway Park is the same voice students at Charlestown High School hear every day. Henry Mahegan, an Upper School Civics Teacher at Charlestown High, is one of Fenway Park's regular announcers. 

Not only does he read announcements and player information (who is coming to bat and pitching changes) for week-night games but for this year, Mahegan is there for all play-off matches, including the World Series games at Fenway. 

“It’s something I never imagined myself doing,” Mahegan said in his soothing, baritone voice. 

“Now I love it.”

Mahegan, who worked for the Red Sox before doing Boston Teacher’s Residency and joining the faculty of Charlestown High School, said this opportunity came as a surprise. After long-time announcer Carl Beane died suddenly last year, Mahagen received a call from the Red Sox. They wanted to know if he’d be interested in a job.

Now Mahegan is one of three people who announces games inside Fenway Park. He balances this gig with teaching five classes a day at Charlestown High School. The secret to this teacher/announcer balance, Mahegan says, is getting a lot of grading done when the Red Sox are on the road. Also, taking quick naps in the afternoon is another secret.

“I’m not sure how he does it,” said Charlestown Headmaster William Thomas. 

“Henry is a great teacher. He’s great with the kids. He also loves baseball a lot,” said Thomas.

Mahegan teaches U.S. History and Civics for Boston Youth, a special course offered in a limited number of Boston high schools. Mahegan’s Civics students are currently studying the Boston mayoral election and looking at local politics. At the end of the year, they’ll do participatory action research projects where they will present on important topics and suggest ways to improve society. Often, Civics students need to develop their public speaking ability. Luckily, this is an ability that, thanks to his work with the Red Sox, Mahegan has become a master.

There are some other perks to the job too. This past April, Charlestown High faculty was invited to attend a Red Sox game free-of-charge. And last year, Red Sox players, including 2004 World Series winner Pedro Martinez, came by the school to be interviewed by Mahegan’s Civics students. Mahegan also gets a little bit of extra respect from his students who are baseball fans.

“At the end of the day, I’ve got two jobs I love,” Mahegan said. 

“I love teaching. My colleagues and my school are fantastic. And I really hope we win the World Series.”