LEADING THROUGH LISTENING

On Memorial Day, we stop each year to remember and honor the military men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live the life that we are all so accustomed to. Memorial Day is filled with parades, bands, military memorabilia and honorees, picnics, barbecues, ice cream, fire works, and more. Across our country it is a day of remembrance and honor for people that most of us never knew, and never knew what the true fight was. Yet part of what makes the American people so great is their ability to band together in times of need and do the small things that make the world a better place; small things like say thank you to complete strangers. On this Memorial Day, while I want to take time to remember the military individuals who have sacrificed their lives for us, I also want to take time to say thank you to some of our own RFA family members for their service to our school. This coming summer, two of our assistant principals (Mrs. Linda O'Neill and Mr. Ric ...

I think it is finally safe to say that Spring has sprung here in Central, New York. Almost everyone I know has spent a portion of this weekend outside doing work or enjoying themselves (including myself as I write this next to the fire on this fine Sunday evening). Spring brings with it all kinds of change, both literal and metaphoric in our schools. Our students are constantly experiencing new life events and for seniors the change of life coming in the next month is fairly drastic. In nature, the life cycle takes anew and we see the change of seasons right before our very eyes. While I spend my time enjoying being outside a bit, I reflect on the change that we are about to undergo in both Rome and Rome Free Academy. This past week we appointed a new principal (Mr. Brian LeBaron) and two new Assistant Principals (Mrs. Andrea Falvo and Miss Amy Molloy). As I begin my transition into my first superintendency, I could not be more thrilled for the future of Rome Free Academy. RFA is l...

This is that time of year where our students are enjoying the sunshine, the green outside, and the thought of summer approaching. Over the next 6 weeks high school students all over are going to experience many events that bring them together as groups of friends and classmates to create memories that will last a life time. As adults, we always hope that our students and children make wise decisions so that the memories created are for the right reasons. As we finished our Junior Prom this weekend, it was so nice to see kids being kids and enjoying themselves. We decided to have our Prom at the high school this year in an act of "retro" and the students truly did an amazing job!! Unfortunately at RFA, while we have a lot of wonderful events to bring us together and create memories, we have also experienced tragedy that has united our school community. As we begin to celebrate the end of the school year and all of the successes that come with that, the RFA family was sudde...

On this Mother's Day, we all need to take a moment to reflect and think about the value our mother's have added to our lives. We've all heard the old sayings about how our parents are our first teachers, and there is truth to that. One of the nice things about being an adult is that you learn to appreciate the moment and enjoy the little things in life as you learn that not everyone has the same life that you may have. You also learn to value those in your life that helped raise you and you understand a parents unconditional love. This past weekend, I witnessed 2 events with my own mother that made me realize just how much she cared about me. First was funny, when she pulled her selfie stick out at the zoo to take a family portrait. I am very tech-saavy and have never even used one, it was a great example of how my mother tries to stay current so she can relate to use tech-generation folk. The second occasion occurred when I handed my mom a copy of a newspaper article w...

May is here and in education we refer to these next weeks as the home stretch or crunch time. For some students (and staff) it can be the most stressful time of the year. For others, the most enjoyable and of course there are a few in the middle. The reason why these next weeks are so important is because of the potential for poor decision making on the part of our students (and ourselves as adults in their lives). Not only are there a host of students who are preparing to move into the next phase of their lives, but there is 75% of each high school student body that is preparing for something else. All of our students are faced with exams and testing which alone, can be stressful. Throw on top of that the concern about passing certain classes, prom and ball dates and/or attire, finding a summer job, and a potential host of other concerns that could be more important to a teenager than their education when the weather gets nice. Lets be real, we all tend to find a shift of some amoun...