Lights blink on and off as a man turns knobs and dials, conducting a technological symphony. His voice fills the gymnasium as a ball swishes through the net, declaring WA’s victory over the roar of the crowd. He stands in the back of the PAC ensuring presentations go smoothly, inspects malfunctioning tools in classrooms, and never hesitates to offer a helping hand. His face is instantly recognizable, but few know the full scope of audio-visual coordinator Mark Miller’s contributions to WA.

“If you told me in 1983 that I’d be retiring in 2025 from Westford Academy, I never would have believed it,” Miller said.

More than four decades of commitment will cement anyone in the very fabric of their community, but when that person has been as integral as Miller in WA’s growth and daily functioning, his legacy and influence interweaves with the past, present, and future of the school.

“There are so many things around this building that nobody really understands or knows how it operates, but you just put Mr. Miller on something and he would appear and fix it and it would be done and over with,” WA Principal Dan Twomey said. “He’s somebody who wears an incredible amount of hats around here. His role has continued to change throughout the years, but he’s been somebody that makes the inner workings of Westford Academy operate every single day.”

Miller will be retiring at the end of the 2024-2025 school year after 42 years of highlighting students and their accomplishments. Among other roles, Miller has controlled the shot clock for multiple WA sports teams, modernized technology in classrooms, and helped plan the design of several buildings within the Westford Public School (WPS) district.

When Miller began working at WA in 1983, no one could have predicted the magnitude of devotion he would invest in the school over the course of the following decades. According to Miller, he initially applied to an audio-visual position at the high school simply as a stepping stone to broadcast television.

“I did an internship at Channel 25 […] but things didn’t fall into place, so when I saw this position open up as an ad, I applied, and I did this as a [way to] get me going,” Miller said. “I thought I’d do this for a couple years until I actually get into television production, but I fell in love with this place and with the people.”

As Miller continued to work at WA and his connection to the community strengthened, he began to realize his passion for using his knowledge of audio-visual technology to broadcast student achievements. One of the most enduring ways Miller has called attention to remarkable students involves his work in WA athletic announcing. From his introduction to high school athletics broadcasting, Miller has been known for his professionalism and dedication to his work.

By 1996, Miller was well known both in Westford and in surrounding towns for his proficiency in audio-visual technology, and more recognizably, his iconic sports announcing. In fact, Twomey was first introduced to Miller when he was a high school basketball player at Groton-Dunstable High School. According to Twomey, even then, Miller was held in high regard for his impressive control of the shot clock and his captivating commentary.

“He’s had many nicknames over the years, but […] one of his nicknames that I came across was ‘the professional’ because what he can do in some of these sporting events, whether it’s timing, announcing, shot clock, most places that takes three people, […] and when he does do it, he does it perfectly. It’s flawless,” Twomey said.

However, the announcements and analysis that have become cornerstones of WA’s athletic culture used to be a source of dread for Miller due to his anxiety surrounding public speaking. According to Miller, his breakthrough towards gaining confidence was viewing the public announcements as a spotlight on the players rather than a magnifying glass on any potential mistakes he makes. Miller’s mindset during games falls in line with his long-term goal of highlighting student achievements.

“I hated public speaking, so I’ve kind of overcome that hurdle […] I’ve never really been in theater [but] I kind of look at it the same way. You’re in a character, and I feed off the audience, the audience feeds off me,” Miller said.

Another one of Miller’s largest contributions to the school is the Westford Academy Broadcasting Club (WABC). In the early 2000s, with help from administration, Miller organized the collection of resources to create the morning broadcast that still airs between 8:35 and 8:41 each morning. He also set up the technology for both recording and televising the announcements, and developed the process to execute each recording.

“[Everyone] should know how much he cares,” senior WABC member Sachi Rasne said. “A lot of times people don’t really see all the work that he does around the school because he just kind of comes in and out, but basically like a good chunk of the technology around the school that we use every single day, it’s implemented by him.”

During his career, Miller’s influence has extended beyond WA to other schools in the district as well. His expertise was applied at a much larger scale when Miller played a key role in determining the designs and providing recommendations for the auditoriums and other audio-visual aspects of certain school buildings. When John A. Crisafulli Elementary School, Rita Edwards Miller Elementary School, and Stony Brook Middle School were being built in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, Miller made multiple recommendations to the architects and designers.

Additionally, he provided input for WA’s current PAC, the science wing, and other additions when the building was being renovated in the late ’90s.

Aside from the larger contributions to WA, Miller is also responsible for fixing many day-to-day operational issues and tinkering with malfunctioning equipment. With a utility belt around his waist carrying a flashlight, walkie talkie, and various other pieces of equipment, Miller can often be spotted moving from room to room, always on his feet.

“He shows up every single day. He works countless hours. He never says no to anything. He’s here on vacations, he’s here on the weekends […] whatever the task is that needs to be fixed, he gets it done, and it’s well beyond 7:35 to 1:55,” Twomey said. “He’s just a quiet human being [who] does his job the right way every single day. I think every organization needs somebody like Mark Miller who just goes about and does his job the right way every single day.”

It takes a deep passion to stand by a community for more than half a lifetime, and according to Miller, this love for the school has not only kept him at WA since the early ’80s, but will also keep him in the announcer’s chair and present at after school activities, even during retirement.