Click here for part 5 – “Moral compass…”
Sara McCloskey
Editor-in-Chief
Rain or shine, snow or sleet, Principal Tony Pavia stands at the front entrance, with coffee cup in hand, greeting every student by name. “When other principals are focused on scores and grades, he’s focused on creating an environment that is safe where [students]feel inspired, challenged, and nurtured,” school psychologist Sandera Warkentin, who works on the Names Can Hurt program, said.
The environment created by Mr. Pavia is noticeable to students and colleagues alike. Senior P.J. Larson, a member of Names Can Hurt program and the Leadership Program, interacts with Mr. Pavia a few times each week and accredits Mr. Pavia’s daily encouragement to his development as an individual. P.J. has also seen Mr. Pavia’s impact on the rest of the student body. “What I’ve seen him do for other people, he makes them feel welcome and at home – he hugs a lot of students, he makes them feel warm and welcome. He is like a father figure to the entire high school community and that father figure has brought a lot of people to feel that this place is family,” he said. “He inspires people on a very personal level and I think that is key to his effectiveness — everyone knows and adores him.”
Sue Morabito, Mr. Pavia’s secretary of four years, has seen his approach to working with teenagers and its effects. “He has a whole different style. He believes in using humor and warmth. He truly treats the staff and kids like family. He really believes in it and it comes from the heart. With that, nobody wants to let him down because he gives his all and we all know it,” she said.
The warmth and humor comes from principles that Mr. Pavia’s mother instilled in him at a young age. She told him two things: to be a nice person and to treat people the way you want to be treated. Mr. Pavia uses these standards because his philosophy is to be accessible to teenagers because “it isn’t okay if a student isn’t comfortable grabbing my arm and speaking with me,” he said. Assistant Principal Ari Rothman first noticed Mr. Pavia’s way with students while teaching with him at Darien High School. “Good administrators are like good teachers. If you think about what makes a good teacher a good teacher, it’s a sense of you’re not teaching the subject – you’re teaching human beings the subject. He respects students, works with them without dictating to them, and the nuts part is that he creates an atmosphere where they are comfortable working with him,” he said. “I would describe working with him as a colleague the same way a student having him as a teacher would.”
According to Ms. Morabito, Mr. Pavia strives to bring the best out of everyone because “everyone has it in them to achieve their best.” Assistant Principal Dawn Bartz noticed this as well as he gives kids a second, third, and fourth chance to succeed – a characteristic she would like to emulate.
One of the vehicles being used to promote the respect is Names Can Hurt program, an anti-bullying campaign set up by the Anti-Defamation League. Originally, Mr. Pavia did not like the idea of an anti-bullying assembly because “students do not listen if they are being scolded.” But once he saw an assembly at a local high school, he “was hooked” according to Ms. Warkentin. This program works with the Leadership Program to counteract bullying that continued from middle school to high school. It was tailored to our school to focus on bystanders so more voices could be heard on the issue. “I was sold on the fact that when students listen to other students, human nature will happen. Students will not be afraid to cry and it reaches more kids and they listen… . It is critical for kids to go up and talk about their failings because we all fail,” Mr. Pavia said.
Within Names Can Hurt, P.J. has been encouraged by Mr. Pavia to make a difference in the school’s community – inspired to achieve his best. “I’m all about the audacity and the boldness to take people out of their comfort zones and rally forth to make an improvement in our school community,” he said. “Certainly, in the context of Names, I don’t believe anyone has encouraged me in my efforts and our efforts as a school to go new places, and inspire and develop new passions more than Mr. Pavia.”
One thought on “Part 4 – NCHS embraces culture of civility”
Comments are closed.