By Ralph Mayo
I was being interviewed the other day by some of our students for an upcoming edition of the GHS Cardinal News.The one question that I could not fully answer because of time constraints was who in your career has inspired you?I have had the honor of working and collaborating with many people in our school district.It is a difficult task to name them all but I often wonder where I would be right now without their good guidance.The individuals that I am about to name helped me to develop the leadership skills that I possess and use on a daily basis. They are also amazing communicators and had a vision for our district.These people were undeterred by any type of obstacles or barriers because they knew that what they were doing was in the best interest of the students who attended the Greenwich Public Schools.They were workers who didn’t mind getting their hands dirty and would never ask anyone to do something they wouldn’t do themselves.
My teachers inspired me when I attended Greenwich High School as they would never allow me to take the easy way out. Joanne Hoppe and Jesse Sommers are the reasons why I became an English teacher. They taught me how to write , revise, write and then edit again without getting frustrated. They were both exemplary teachers and even better people.
Dr. Ernest Fleishman was the first Superintendent that I had the pleasure of working for and he visited classrooms almost daily during his tenure. He even came to one of my summer school classes to be with the students because he enjoyed the teaching and learning process so much.He is still sponsoring the Fleishman Award, which is the highest honor a student may receive at our Community Service Awards Ceremony. Dr. Fleishman continues to check in on me and it is a blessing to have such a wonderful leader as a mentor. But more importantly, he taught me how valuable it is to be of service to our community
Gerard Saggese gave me my initial lessons in leadership and showed me how to connect with students, staff and parents in an administrative role. Mr Saggese taught me that humor along with caring for all students is so important in an administrative position. At GHS, Rod Saggese was our guy; he was someone we went to for advice and encouragement. He did things for students and families that were unique and not part of anyone’s job description. He taught me to think outside of the box and to be there for people in need.
Dr. Eileen Petruzillo appointed me as House Administrator of Clark House in 1994. Dr. Petruzillo was brilliant, funny and a great leader.She taught me that if you take care of the small things then all the big things would fall into place.She was extremely involved in running all aspects of this great high school. Dr. Petruzillo helped to enhance our PTA, which rivals any other organization that I have ever seen. She knew the importance of collaborating with parents and how the high school really could not function without them or their support. Dr. Petruzillo understood Family and Community Engagement and implemented it at GHS, she was always ahead of her time.
Ms. Joanna Savino, an Assistant Principal at Eastern Middle School, really believed that change could bring about positive results. She knew that even if you were an exemplary teacher or school you could still go from good to great by working harder, collaborating with your colleagues and by engaging in high quality professional learning. Continuous improvement was her motto and she showed me that the difficult decisions often bring about the biggest changes in teacher and student performance.
As Interim Superintendent, I was fortunate to work with so many bright people at the Central Office. Ms. Kim Eves stood out among them; she was a shining star and my closest advisor. More than that, she understood the district (parents, staff, town government and students) and knew where the district needed to go and often had to push us all in that direction. I have never worked with anyone quite like her as she was highly strategic and like myself was very proud of our school district. Her work was always exemplary and the patience she exhibited with me and the cabinet was extraordinary. She taught me to immediately confront problems and not to kick the can down the road.
Finally, I must mention Terry Lowe. Terry has been coaching swimming at GHS for 50 plus years. He has won every award and has been honored by many, many organizations as an educator and coach. He coaches his teams to display sportsmanship and to be humble in victory. His pursuit of excellence and the tenacious manner in which he urged his athletes to think about their team first is amazing, especially in a sport that relies on individual performances. No one has ever done it better in or out of the classroom. Terry really taught me about the meaning of team and how much may be accomplished if everyone is on the same page.
To be clear these are just a few of the people who have inspired me in my career. There are many, many more and perhaps I will continue this theme in my next piece for the Greenwich Sentinel.
