Pizza Boy Turned Principal
When you typically think of how your principal got to his fancy office, you probably wouldn’t think of a stint in jail or delivering pizzas. Believe it or not, this describes our very own Mr. Agostinoni.
The Road To Maple Hill– As a young boy, Mr. A didn’t really see overseeing a high school on his path through life. Instead, he pictured himself pulling over scofflaws and taking down felons. While at Cairo Durham Junior-Senior High School in Cairo NY, he was a lifeguard at Zoom Flume Water Park. Also while in high school Agostinoni played soccer, which would later heavily impact his decision to pursue a degree in criminal justice at SUNY Brockport. While at Brockport, Ron continued toe tapping the ball out on the soccer field but stepped away from soccer after freshmen year. It was at Brockport that Mr. A got a sample of Chartwells (well, kind of) by delivering pizza (cardboard with plastic on it) for Dominoes. After polishing off a degree in Criminal Justice, it was off to the slammer for Ron. No, not as an inmate but as a rough and tough guard. It was then on his days off from the house of corrections that he fell in love with a more forgiving job choice of education.
Once graduating high school, very few ever want to walk back into the place that for so long felt like a prison with no way out. Well that’s exactly what Mr. A did, going back to the same halls he ran for so many years, but this time on the other side as a history teacher. A big part of his lesson plans must have been the history of the Dallas Cowboys because as we all know, that’s all they have: history. Well at least that’s more than Cairo’s got on Maple Hill, which is nothing but hung heads and disappointment .
Perhaps it was then pulling out of C-Town with a BIG red L on the stats sheet that he first fell in love with the beauty of the Hill. Who am I kidding there’s nothing pretty about this town (except the girls) well anyways you get the segue. “I’ve always known about the school, playing them in sports and such,” Mr. A said in regard to our cheery little school.
Before arriving to his air-conditioned office (one of the only places in the school, besides the entire school in the winter), he would head on down to Saugerties for a laugh or two. The quaint little town on the hills of the Hudson (Very much like Castle-Tucky) is the hometown of the one and only Jimmy Fallon. Well the wind and legacy left by Fallon certainly wasn’t enough to make Mr. A’s jokes any funnier. Actually, maybe a little, “When the cowboys win the Superbowl…”. After time in Saugerties he would again head back to Cairo before arriving at the Hill.
A different kind of principal– When you think of your principal, chances are you don’t think of a tech guru or football enthusiast but that’s exactly what Mr. A is to so many of his students. “He’s the type of principal I could just sit and have a regular conversation with and in no way shape or form know that he’s my principal,” one student said. It’s this kind and genuine feeling that has earned Mr. A the respect of students and teacher alike. “You can tell he really cares about the students,” longtime History teacher Mrs. Wollner said. “Even when he’s mad at you, you know he’s mad because he wants the best for you,” another student added.
The level of care Mr. A brings to the table for his students is equal if not greater to that of the faculty and staff that work under him. “He takes the time to design to people’s ideas and really invest himself,” Wollner went on to say. This level of care for his team comes from a belief that with good teachers, great students can be made.
Looking ahead– The future: it’s the thing we love, hate, look forward to or dread, but we can’t change. In a time when most professionals look to climb to the tippy top of the top, many would think a principal with the credentials of Mr. A would exploit the Hill for what it’s worth and move on. Meaning really just move on to a bigger school. Well, it’s in this environment that Mr. A thrives. When asked why he loved the idea of a small school compared to a big school like Shen Mr. A opined, “I Love how much we can all come together, it’s not that big schools can’t, it’s just that it’s more of a community here.”
Mr. A also believes that because we are so small, it simply allows teachers and administrators to collaborate making enriching program adjustments. When pressed about the impact of the capital Project on student opportunities, Mr. A replied, “We’ll be able to offer more programs in new spaces.” This could not be any closer to the truth, think about it you’ll have more educators, in more space, with 21st century equipment. To your humble correspondent it sounds like a recipe for success.
With all the success Mr. A has had over the years, there’s got to be something he wishes he could do over again, right? Nope, not a thing. Well, he might wish to take his words back if the Cowboys somehow win the Super Bowl in 2017 (I have about as much of a chance in passing the Chem Regents as the Cowboys do in even making the playoffs). Anyways, “If the cowboys win the Super Bowl in 2017, we are canceling classes (all but Mrs. Balogh’s) and having a parade,” Mr. A said.
– Dylan Rossiter
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE MAPLE HILL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT NEWSPAPER, “The Paw Print”