At first glance, the south corner of the third floor of Chaminade Hall looks identical to any other corner in the building. It consists of three rooms, each of which has several classes and a couple of Mauclerc mentor groups. Despite the seemingly normal appearance, however, this corner has been rumored to hold a darker side, so much so that it has even adopted its own title: The Toxic Corner.
“Lots of rumors, a lot of questions…teachers feuding, just a general lack of warmth. It’s a little colder over there,” Mr. Robert Murphy, a longtime Chaminade history teacher and student favorite, said about the Toxic Corner.
Mr. Murphy is credited as the first to title the region back when he taught classes in the middle of the third floor. He has since moved to the third floor’s north corner, and when asked about the difference, Mr. Murphy stated, “I began to notice differences between the North End and the South End…It is palpable. If there was such a tool to measure toxicity, it would be off the charts.”
After hearing Mr. Murphy’s testimony, I became more intrigued than ever with the Corner’s mysteries. The only logical step was to venture further into the corner and gather some perspective from the inside.
As a relatively new addition to the Chaminade teaching staff, Mr. Joseph Gilfoil sets himself apart from the other members of the Toxic Corner. Mr. Gilfoil says his first thoughts were, “initially, I was taken aback by the state of affairs here.” According to the physics teacher, there were some conflicts in the past that were most likely the cause of the toxicity: “There was a time when it was not so peaceful.”
Obviously, Gilfoil’s responses lead to more questions about the potentially potent past of the Toxic Corner. An anonymous AP Chemistry teacher added to the ominous mystery by stating that “the source of the toxicity is the chemical store room, of course.” The unnamed racquetball coach has been in the Toxic Corner for years, so his response was the most telling of the condition of the corner entirely.
Finally, there is only one member of the Toxic Corner who could truly answer the pressing questions that were raised from the other responses. Mr. Keithley is known for his brutal honesty, and if anyone was associated with the “Toxic” part of the corner, it would be him. Before discussing the matter with him, however, it is important to understand a critical aspect of the Corner’s history. In the ’21-’22 school year, there was another member who is no longer with us in the Chaminade Community. Ellen Mannino was a chemistry teacher who taught sophomores for many years. Allegedly, the conflicts between Mannino and Keithley could be the leading cause of the toxicity.
“She and I had a tendency to, as the young people say, have beef,” Mr. Keithley, junior/senior theology teacher revealed. “For example, I’d go into her classroom and tell her there was a bat loose in her office, or her papers were under a leaky ceiling.” Mr. Keithley goes on to admit, “I suppose, in full disclosure, I might have had a role in starting those conflicts.”
It may seem as though the Toxic Corner is home to only anger and resentment. However, as any student who has been there can attest, there seems to be a hidden charm within the toxicity. Mr. Gilfoil summed it up perfectly when he said, “despite the title, the people here are the epitome of peace and harmony.”
It seems that the bond between the teachers and the “strong” personalities located there are far more hospitable than the legends make them out to be. “Two of the members went with me on my spring break trip to Kentucky,” said Mr. Keithley.
In a way, the Toxic Corner lives up to its name. It has some conflict, some banter, and certainly more personality than any other region on campus. But it is clear that there is an atmosphere of peace here as well, and in their own way, each staff member that resides here has an important role in making the Toxic Corner a student favorite here at Chaminade.
