NYSAEOP sponsors an annual Administrator of the
Year Award, offering recognition of educational administrators,
nominated by a NYSAEOP member, for outstanding leadership, service, and
support of staff.
2009
John T. Grande, Director of Family and Community Resources at Cleveland
Hill School
When Mr. Grande was recognized by the Erie
County Association of Educational Office Professionals as their
Administrator of the Year, Thomas S. Kulaszewski, Vice-President of the
Board of Education at Cleveland Hill, who also attended the NYSAEOP
Award Dinner in Fairport, shared a bit of Mr. Grande’s history. To say
that Cleveland Hill holds him in great esteem is a considerable
understatement. They like him so much they’ve actually hired him three
times. When Mr. Grande originally went to Cleveland Hill, their
expectations were small. They were simply looking for someone to sit in
a room with their most unruly students, but they got so much more than
they expected. Little by little every kid seemed to turn to Mr.
Grande. He would listen to their problems, cheer their personal
triumphs, help them choose a college or career, guide them through the
challenging perils of adolescent life including drug and alcohol use,
sexuality and self-identity. Pretty soon this pied piper of a man was
doing the same thing for the faculty, staff, and parents of our
community. Mr. Kulaszewski indicated that he knows Mr. Grande has
helped dozens of families, including his own, through some dark and
troubling times.
For many years, a serious illness kept Mr
Grande from his Cleveland Hill family. The love and support of his
wife, Sherry, his two children Laura and Willie, and his large and
loving family brought him back to them and for that they are forever
grateful.
In the summer of 2007, their school board
was faced with two significant dilemmas. First, they had an academic
eligibility policy that continually prevented up to one-third of their
students from participating in important character building
extracurricular activities; in addition, their In-School Suspension room
was always full to capacity. Their suspicion, as a board, was that many
of the students on their ineligible list and in ISS were having “family
issues” that required more in-depth examination, or were dealing with
teachers unprepared to handle the classroom management issues involved
in dealing with a persistently troubled child. At the same time, they
had a group of concerned parents come to them seeking help. Their own
children had battled serious substance abuse issues and were working
toward their recovery, but they asked the school to create a
comprehensive strategy to help other parents and children avoid the
addiction battle they had endured.
Mr. Kulaszewski shared that the first
person they thought of was John Grande. His medical issues had improved
to the point that he was ready to take on the significant challenge.
First Mr. Grande overhauled the In School Suspension Room. ISS now
stands for “In Search of Solutions”. All the posted restrictions and
rules were replaced with uplifting quotations from great leaders.
Students were encouraged to view ISS time as a privilege – an
opportunity for reflection as part of their regular school day. They
were given meaningful tasks such as filing, tutoring other students and
creating programs to be shared with their peers. The turnaround in
discipline referrals was amazing. Many of their most “troublesome”
students now mentor others. Mr. Grande also counsels other teachers on
how to “reach” an uncooperative student. At the same time, he began
initiating programming with Renaissance House and Western New York
United Against Drug & Alcohol Abuse that led to the creation of a parent
prevention training program for the parents of their students going to
the Junior/Senior prom. Cleveland Hill was also one of the original
schools involved in Renaissance House’s Face To Face program, where high
school students’ work with recovering teens to create substance abuse
prevention programs within their school.
Mr. Kulaszewski believes that Mr. Grande
has been instrumental in the creation of the Cleveland Hill Family
Center which they hope to have available to their community in
September. While noting that it would be difficult to sum up Mr.
Grande’s accomplishments in a single sentence, Mr. Kulaszewski said that
certainly he is a skillful, empathetic counselor, an innovative
administrator, and a shining star on our Cleveland Hill team. But even
more than that, he is a caring, compassionate man who always sees the
best in others and makes you want to be a better person when you are
with him. Mr. Kulaszewski closed by affirming that Mr. Grande is his
closest and dearest friend.
In addition to the praise from his
district, the following statements, made by our members in his
nominating application, clearly reveal his impact upon those around
him. “This administrator is amazing and the students love him . . . He
is a positive role model and encourages students to succeed . . . that
nothing is impossible.” “He keeps us in a motivational and positive
perspective towards not just work but life. He is always willing to help
anyone and encourages positive behavior. He is a perfect example of
determination and the ability to strive and succeed.” “He believes that
everyone deserves to be treated fairly and with respect.” “He is always
looking to improve things” “One of his greatest strengths . . . his
ability to listen!” “He is very kind and caring and that clearly comes
across when he communicates with parents and the community.” “His door
is ‘always open,’ for students, parents, as well as staff.”
After meeting Mr. Grande, those present at
the Award Dinner confirmed the accolades of both his district and the
members who nominated him. It was our honor and privilege to meet Mr.
Grande and to recognize him as NYSAEOP’s 2009 Administrator of the Year.
