WHO AM I?
I am Tracie's husband and Jonathan's dad.
Parent/Guardian Email Contact: m.dlouhy<at>tvdsb.ca
Mr. Dlouhy joined the Lester B. Pearson School for the Arts team in 2020-21 after teaching at Princess Elizabeth, Nicholas Wilson, Jack Chambers, Cleardale, and Lorne Avenue Public Schools. Before joining the Pearson team, Mr. Dlouhy also spent six years as a teacher in the former TVDSB Gifted Itinerant program. Born and raised in London, Mr. Dlouhy attended H.B. Beal Secondary School. He graduated from Western University with an honours degree in Philosophy and earned his teaching certificate from Althouse College. Mr. Dlouhy received his Master of Education degree, also at Western.
Other than French, Mr. Dlouhy has taught every subject in the intermediate grades, but he definitely appreciates some more than others. No matter what he is teaching, Mr. Dlouhy enjoys continuing to learn along with his students. Highlights of Mr. Dlouhy's teaching career thus far include coaching Cross Country, Volleyball, Basketball, and Track and Field, coordinating the Gauss Math Contest, editing various Graduation Yearbooks, organizing trips to C.Q.E., Niagara Falls, Museum London, "Imagine Van Gogh", "The Art of Banksy: Without Limits", Beal Art, and meeting a diverse group of remarkable students.
Before entering the teaching profession, Mr. Dlouhy enjoyed working as a disc jockey and, later, at Kellogg's, now known as "The Factory". Earlier in his career, Mr. Dlouhy was also an ambassador and online "Homework Help" Math tutor for Grade 8 students with Mathify. During a two-year leave in 2010, Mr. Dlouhy loved touring across Canada as a corporate trainer with Shoppers Drug Mart. He has been the Public Address Announcer for the OHL's London Knights for over 20 years. Go Knights Go!
Mr. Dlouhy enjoys listening to music, attending live concerts, sporting events, art exhibitions, and theatre performances, travelling, reading, playing the piano, drums, and ukelele, and visiting with family. He is a fan of both the Detroit Tigers and New York Rangers.
FAQ's
How many times have you seen Journey live in concert? I have seen Journey 58 times. Yes, that is fanatical . . . and expensive. My favourite shows took place on New Year's Eve of 2000 in Phoenix, AZ and in August of 2022 in Canandaigua, NY where my son, Jonathan, experienced Journey live for the very first time. Over the years, I've also seen the band perform in stadiums, arenas, parks, and amphitheatres in ON, OH, MI, IL, MA, RI, CT, GA, NH, and PA. I've met band members on different occasions and have always found them to be remarkably down-to-earth. Journey often tours with other artists which means I've seen some really other great bands, too, including The Steve Miller Band, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Dave Mason, The Doobie Brothers, Heart, Cheap Trick, The Pretenders, Tower of Power, Peter Frampton, April Wine, Toto, and Def Leppard. Journey's "Final Frontier" tour in 2026 marks their last and I hope to hit the big 6-0 with shows later this year in Detroit and Toronto. Either way, I know the band and their music will carry on for years to come. Don't Stop Believin'!
How did you get your job as a PA Announcer? For the Knights, it was pretty simple--I asked. Literally. I have watched the Knights for pretty much my whole life and, one day, I went to the back door of the then John Labatt Centre to inquire as to whether they were hiring a replacement for the announcer who was scheduled to retire. They said "yes" and, well, the rest is history. For the London Lightning, the professional basketball team I was with for over a decade, I was asked by a friend who was going to be involved with the organization in their first year. After much thought, I said "yes" and officially became a dual-sport announcer up until 2024. I really enjoy my role as an announcer (particularly the anonymity), meet a lot of great people, and learn new things every season. Highlights of my announcing career so far include shaking hands with Wayne Gretzky, John Vanbiesbrouck, and Ray Scapinello, calling "Last Minute of Play" during the third period of the final game of the 2005 Memorial Cup, and making my basketball debut during a preseason game between the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers. More recently, I served as the timekeeper for The Harlem Globetrotters and The Maple Leafs Alumni team--both of these events were a lot of fun!
What is your background in the Arts? Although I attended H.B. Beal SS, I was not overly-involved in the Visual Art program there. Frankly, there just wasn't enough time to do all the things I found interesting. In five years at Beal, I earned over 50 credits and never took a spare. In addition to enjoying a variety of academic and technological courses, I was heavily involved in Instrumental Music (e.g., alto/tenor saxophone, percussion, keyboard, and digital programming), Vocal Music (e.g., choir), Drama (e.g., stage management, technician, pit band, and performance), and Dance (e.g., stage management, technician, and musical composition). In university, I spent countless hours backstage at theatres throughout London working as both a volunteer and paid technician, carpenter, stage manager, driver, fly operator, etc. Throughout my life, I have been a passionate consumer of the Arts, enjoying regular visits to various galleries, theatres, and music venues. I always look forward to returning to my alma mater for the annual Beal Art year-end show. I tend to enjoy contemporary, abstract, and digital art, most notably the works of Warhol, Lichtenstein, and Sawaya. As an artist, perfectionism sometimes gets the best of me but I continue to challenge myself to produce works in a variety of styles and build-up the courage to share my pieces with others. I am always looking to improve my knowledge of different techniques and tools through research and professional development.
What is the origin of the name "Dlouhy"? My family heritage stems from the former Czechoslovakia (now The Czech Republic or Czechia), the place where my dad was born. He came to Canada in the late 1960's after having escaped to Austria by train--a story that would make for a great movie. "Dlouhy" is a Czech word that translates to "long" in English. While I encourage people to pronounce it as "duh-LOW-hee", only my dad really knows how to say it properly.
What did you do this summer? To sum it up in three words: small town local. In July, we returned to a cottage rental in Amherstburg, ON that we've visited in the past and thoroughly enjoyed. Following a week there, we relocated just down the road for three days at a unique cottage made available inside the Holiday Beach convservation area. It was beautiful and serene. Lake Erie is always unpredictable but, at different times, we had a great time swimming, hiking, and paddling. We ended the month with a road trip to Michigan highlighted by a Tigers game in Detroit, a concert in Grand Rapids, and a stroll through the German-inspired town of Frankenmuth. Back at home, Jonathan was busy with golf, sailing, and tennis camps. Given his affinity for telephones, we daytripped to the Bell Homestead in Brantford, ON where they were celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first long-distance call. The following week, we headed to Stratford, ON for a Festival show and time pedal-boating along the river. At different times, we also enjoyed various visits to Granny's pool, 100 Kellogg's Lane, Tin Cup, and Fanshawe and Crumlin Creek golf courses. At the end of August, we returned to Essex County for a week at a rental cottage in Leamington, ON. We've made Leamington an annual destination for nearly a decade and it always provides us with a great end to the holiday break. At home and abroad, my reading list was plentiful, mostly non-fiction and a couple of plays. My favourite book was a behind-the scenes commentary on one of my favourite television programs, Seinfeld. "Seinfeldia" inspired me to re-watch the series from beginning to end and I'm currently somewhere in season five of nine, full of new insights as to how the various episodes were constructed. Full disclosure, I also spent a lot of time at home, Tim Hortons, and at Pearson throughout the summer preparing for the upcoming school year--see below.
Do you have any clue how to teach a Grade 8 homeroom? Depends who you ask. More seriously, it's been a while but I'm looking forward to revisiting the benefits and challenges of being a homeroom teacher. Most notably, I have always enjoyed working closely with students who are preparing to make the transition to high school. With shows, trips, graduation, and so much more coming our way, it will be great to learn alongside a Gr. 8 homeroom "family" again.