Alumni Brittany O’Farrell and her family have been in this area for generations, and they’ve always been tightly knitted with the community. O’Farrell’s mother’s family has been around for so long, even she doesn’t know how far back it goes. Her father is from Fairfield, PA, and he only moved to Stewartstown as a baby. 

After graduating in 2002, O’Farrell has led a great life, including a job as lead assistant/surgical technician for an endodontic practice and starting a family of her own. She married a 1996 graduate, and they have a nine year old son. 

O’Farrell was a part of the first class to graduate from the new high school; she spent the first three years of her high school career at what is now our middle school. Her mom was a coach for volleyball, and O’Farrell often spent time roaming around the halls while her mom worked, so she was already well accustomed to the old high school by the time she got there.

About the new school, O’Farrell said, “At first we hated it because things seemed so far apart that we barely had time to get from point A to point B. I know that different improvements have been made over the years to help that. But I spent so many years roaming the halls of the old high school that I’m kind of partial to it!” 

O’Farrell explained that with her family being so close to the school, her grandfather even named it, it was hard to get away with anything. She also had some of the same teachers her parents did. Now, her son goes to our school district, and will surely be put in the same position she was.

When asked about why she has stayed in the community for so long, O’Farrell said, “For me, personally, it’s the sense of community. I love knowing that I could knock on my neighbors’ door if I needed anything. And they could do the same to us. The heart of this community is its people. I don’t want to live somewhere that I don’t know who’s living across the street or who’s teaching my son in class.”

Most people talk about how they want to leave this area, but O’Farrell and her family appreciate the community and don’t want to leave. 

“You can always stop by Rutters early in the morning and find out EVERYTHING you  want to know from the group of gentlemen at the tables drinking coffee! To them I will always me ‘Milford’s granddaughter’, ‘Kelly and Donnie’s daughter’, or ‘Jeremiah’s

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sister’! It’s those things that keep us here. I get to tell my son stories about the town and people that those guys told me,” O’Farrell said.

O’Farrell wouldn’t change her life for anything. She loves her life, and where she is. She wouldn’t change it for the world, and she couldn’t dream of leaving the community her family has called home for so many generations.