To celebrate Mother’s Day, I interviewed the newest teacher moms of Bishop O’Connell High School: Victoria Lewis, a history teacher, and Victoria Larnerd, an English teacher. Counselor Katherine Hurley gave birth in February and is still on maternity leave.
Lewis gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Theodore, meaning “gift from God,” Oct. 27, 2025. She came back to work in February and said that it has been, “harder than expected” to leave the baby at home. However, her family from South Carolina has been coming up to help watch Theodore. Lewis admits that she is still trying to find a balance between her job and motherhood, and although it is hard, it is very rewarding. Through motherhood she has recognized more deeply the relationships between her students and their parents and can further empathize with their challenges of being a high school student, especially for those students who don’t have supportive families.
Larnerd gave birth to a baby boy, Thomas, Dec. 19, 2025. Ironically, it is the same month she and her husband were born. Although she describes the transition as “tough” due to managing a new sleep schedule and spending less time with Thomas, she also expressed gratitude for her support system, including her husband and family. She said the biggest lesson she has learned from motherhood is patience, and how it is important for Thomas to “take things a little slower” and “soak in life.” Larnerd credits her patience to her experience as a teacher. She hopes that her child learns through her role as a teacher that he, along with every other student she teaches, is “valued in the classroom,” no matter what they are learning or how quickly they learn.
O’Connell has provided support for both teachers. Lewis said the school ensured “from the very beginning” that all her needs were taken care of from coordinating leave, finding substitutes and providing accommodating schedules and expectations. She said the school prioritizes family life. She also felt the support of her colleagues who coordinated her baby shower with help from Fiat, O’Connell’s all-girl prayer and Scripture community.
Larnerd said she found many support systems in the school, especially from the English department. When she was pregnant and coming to work, the department was very supportive. When she returned to school, each teacher was very empathetic about her transition back to work and the adjustment that came with it.
The passion for motherhood and sense of community in O’Connell allowed both teachers to feel supported in their new journey as mothers.
As for their first Mother’s Day, Lewis celebrated by spending the day with her family, baby Theodore, and visiting in-laws. Larnerd celebrated by having a cookout with her family, baby Thomas as well as the mothers in her life — her mother and grandmother. It was a memorable Mother’s Day for all.
