A new president has arrived at SJR. Mr. Robert Fazio was installed on January 17, officially joining the administration. As our new president, I asked him questions about his background, leadership and his vision for the future of the school.
What is your prior work experience?
I worked in Union City in Hudson County for thirty-seven years. I went from a disciplinary position, to being a vice principal, a principal and ultimately a superintendent. I retired from that job and became a teacher at an all girls Catholic school in Westchester. After two years I left to help my in-laws. They were sick and needed medical assistance. For the last seven years I have been with Don Bosco. I have had a lot of great moments in education.
What brought you to St. Joe’s?
Well I was originally going to retire from Bosco, but I believe the good Lord spoke to me and gave me a call. I told Bosco I was done because I feel that there is a six to seven year window where a lot of change will occur. If you are really an effective leader, you will follow that window because your voice will start to flicker out. It’s good to change and I feel that SJR will be a great change.
What do you enjoy most about being a leader in school?
I love helping people. I feel that as a teacher, you can help your students but you can’t have a huge effect on the rest of the school. As a leader, I can regulate and help everybody in the school and I think that’s what an effective leader should do. I can make decisions without having to ask. I feel that a great leader will use that opportunity to their advantage.
What has your experience been like at Saint Joe's so far?
It has been great. Everybody has been welcoming and I already noticed that this is a hard-working school. I see the boys come in each day at 8:10 and I am thrilled. It is easy to wake up in the morning when you know that everyone around you wants the same goal. Being serious, but having fun at the same time, is very important to this school and it is very present.
What activities do you enjoy outside of school?
I love mountain climbing. I love all sporting events, I love to lift and ride the aerobic bike. I go to church every single day and receive Communion. I have been married for thirty-seven years and I have four kids, so I really enjoy helping and doing things with my family as well.
What is your goal for the duration of this school year?
I would like to communicate more effectively with the student body. I feel that more after school activities need to be presented to students. I would love to see a student lounge with gaming so the student body has a place to have fun. I believe that a Mock Trial team and Model-UN program would be great additions to the school. Student service has to be more active. More donating, more going out to the community and helping. I feel that celebrating the feast of St. Joseph by having half days will be very important, so we can reflect on St. Joseph and his significance. I want to see morning announcements blasted on the smartboards from the Media Center. I hate hearing the announcements over the loudspeaker. I also feel like monumental months, events and victories need to be better celebrated. We did nothing as a school for Black History Month, which needs to change and I plan to implement those changes as early as this year.