Mr. Ron DuFrene has taken an extended medical leave of absence this year after teaching at OHS for 24 years. He primarily taught ninth grade Physical Science, Driver’s Education and college night courses. Mr. DuFrene went to Kellogg High School, Pillsbury College and Minnesota State University, Mankato. He decided to go into teaching because he loves the energy from kids and enjoys science. 

Mr. DuFrene taught for a total of 36 years in the  city of Owatonna. He taught for 10 years at Owatonna Christian School, two years at Owatonna Middle School and 24 years at Owatonna High School. His favorite class to teach is Physical Science.

 He said, “Physical Science is my favorite class. It has a lot of variety and the potential for a lot of hands-on activities.” 

His favorite lab is the bottle rockets students do at the end of the semester, however, any lab that was outside he looked forward to. 

Senior David Smith said,“I had him freshman year. He kept the class engaged, even when we had to go to distance learning and his jokes were always under the radar, but very funny.”

Mr. DuFrene was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 10 years ago which has continued to progress. Parkinson’s is a brain disorder affecting movement. Symptoms of this disease include tremors, fatigue and stiffness. Parkinson’s is a progressive disease, it starts barely noticeable but as it progresses the symptoms become worse. 

Mr. DuFrene said, “My diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease was determined by my handwriting. I was at the hospital for something else and the nurse saw how I wrote distinctively and referred me to a specialist.”

 Handwriting often becomes smaller with Parkinson’s. While there is no cure for Parkinson’s, exercise and medications help with the symptoms. Mayo Clinic has resources to learn more about Parkinson’s disease.

Mr. DuFrene will miss teaching during his leave of absence. His coworkers are a big part of why he will miss OHS. He said, “My coworkers are quality people and they were really here for me with my problems with Parkinson’s.” The teachers at OHS will miss him very much during his absence, as well as the students.

Editorial note: This article was published in the Graduation Print Edition