Q&A With New Principal Robert Mezzanotte
Why did you decide to come to SKHS?
First and foremost, I was really impressed by SK’s tradition and its reputation as a really high-performing school. I wanted a new challenge in my career, and I felt that SK would fit that challenge. Also for me personally, my family relocated to this part of the state, and it was nice to be closer to where I live; I have two small children so that’s important to me too. But ultimately it felt like it was the right fit.
What were your first impressions of SKHS when you got here in September?
Overwhelmingly positive. Really friendly and pleasant and welcoming people, especially students. I feel like the students here are extremely mature, extremely thoughtful and concerned about those around them; they’re willing to take action to make a positive change in both the school and the community and that’s very impressive to me.
Why did you choose enforcement of the dress code as the first thing to tackle?
Well, it was something where I wanted to offer a reminder to students about our expectations, and it was a way to open up a dialogue with students about how we should present ourselves in school. I’ve spoken to several students, and I give them a ton of credit for reaching out to me, and to me it’s really about setting expectations and that this is an environment where presentation means something.
What inspired you to become a teacher, and why did you choose Social Studies as your primary subject?
Well, I was always interested in history, it was my favorite subject growing up. What inspired me to become a teacher was partly that I was always around it my whole life; my parents were both educators and so it was what I knew. But I was also inspired by the ability, as a teacher, to impact the lives of students, and to make a difference in the lives of kids. I’ve always enjoyed high school in particular, with kids who are on their way to adulthood; working with them and having a positive interaction with them, being able to make an impact in their lives is something I’ve always wanted to be able to do.
What new ideas or programs do you hope to implement at SKHS?
I don’t really have any at this point. I think what I want to do is I want to learn, first and foremost. I want to learn more about what makes SK a great school, and I also want to learn more about what we can do to get better, address some areas that need addressing. But really, I’m not at a point to say I want to do specific things because I want to learn more first.
What do you hope students take away from their experience in high school?
First and foremost, I hope they take away the fact that they’ve had an experience that was positive, and one in which they’ve learned about themselves, and they were able to build strong relationships with others. Also, that they gained new skills and new knowledge that are going to help them in life.
What do you hope the Student Advisory Committee will do?
I hope they’ll help me be more in tune with the needs of the students and the voice of the students. I want the Student Advisory Committee to have a say in decisions that get made and to have a voice in terms of what we do as a school. I’d like to see a lot of participation in that because it’s important that students contribute to things that we do as a school.
When does freedom of expression become a problem, such that a rule is required to address or limit it?
I think it depends on the type of expression. If it’s verbal, it becomes a problem when it goes against the kind of environment that we want to have here; we want to maintain a respectful environment where people are spoken to respectfully and politely even if [you] don’t agree with them. Obviously anything that would border on targeting a student because of how they look or where they come from is completely unacceptable. Ultimately, freedom of expression, to me, is something that we need to hold dear. I want students and teachers to have opinions and to express them, but in a way that is respectful and constructful so that we all can learn.
