Vol. 42, I ssue XI I I
The Student Newspaper of St. Joseph's Prep
M ay 4th, 2017
Petr uzzelli Pledges to Crew Wins PCL Championships Pay Attention in Class I ncoming principal wants to have his "finger on the pulse" of Prep's classrooms; said that he will advocate for students By M att Phillips '18 "I?m leaving a place I love to go to a place I love,? reflected Mr. John Petruzzelli when asked about his decision to return to the Prep. Petruzzelli will be succeeding Mr. Jason Zazyczny next year as the Prep?s Principal, after an extensive search conducted over much of this academic year. A number of qualified candidates were interviewed by and met with various members of the Prep community, including students, faculty and alumni. On March 8th, it was announced that Petruzzelli had been selected for the role. Petruzzelli has been in education for his entire adult life. ?I thought I really wanted to teach, I had some really great teachers in high school that really inspired me,? he notes, describing his path from Archbishop Ryan to deciding that his career would be in education. He started teaching seventh and eighth graders in December of his senior year at St. Joe?s University, and remained at the school for two years after graduating. He then moved into high school education, where he was the youngest teacher on the staff and involved in a number of extracurricular programs. ?As I got more involved in different activities of the school, I saw how, as an administrator, you can really affect school climate and the experience of your students,? a realization which led Petruzzelli to pursue his Master?s Degree in School Leadership and Instruction. As implied by his earlier statement, Petruzzelli is no stranger to the Prep community. He was hired as the Dean of Students in 1998, soon after completing his Master?s Degree, a position which he held for four years. He also served as the school?s Director of Ignatian Service for the following two years, a change that arose out of his desire to see a different side of his students. Petruzzelli
pioneered summer service trips at the Prep, a program that is still very much alive today. This belief in service trips remained with him after leaving the Prep; Petruzzelli notes that he introduced a summer service program to every school at which he worked after leaving the Prep. One of his fondest memories of his time at the Prep, the Ivanhoe, Virginia, service trip, directly affected school policy at Bethlehem Catholic: ?Last summer, we did our first trip to Ivanhoe, so I went back to Ivanhoe. It was the first time I was there in ten or eleven years, and the people were the same people as when I went with the Prep.? His affection for the experiences he had at the Prep remained with him long after leaving, and eventually informed his desire to return. ?I never wanted to leave the Prep,? he says, ?at the time, I knew that I really wanted to be a principal, and I knew I had to get different kinds of experience.? Petruzzelli did not, initially, think much of the news that Zazyczny would be stepping down, but after months of reflection, decided to look into the principalship. One of the reasons he chose to seek out the job was his unique outlook on the Prep: ?I think I?m uniquely qualified because I was a part of that community, and know that community; the Jesuit charism is something that I?ve always loved since my time at St. Joe?s University. But I?ve been away for thirteen years, so I have the unique perspective of being an outsider that has a pair of fresh eyes and fresh ears. I think I have the best of both worlds.? Whether at the Prep or at Bethlehem Catholic, his emphasis will remain on the educating each student. ?I?m a teacher first and foremost, and my relationship with the students is key,? he remarks, ?we have 770 kids at Bethlehem Catholic and I know every single one of them by their first name.? His hope is to be an
Prep Crew Wins the PCL Championships for 3rd time in 4 years. Story on Page 2.
Prep Community Stands Up for Financial Aid By L iam Scott ´17 For the past four years, a monumental date on the calendar for the Prep?s Development Office has been the annual fundraising gala, Stand Up for the Prep. Born out of the Hawktion, the predecessor to Stand Up, this event provides an elegant and classy evening for adults in the Prep community and does wonders for the school?s financial aid and scholarship budget. This year, the Prep dining hall was formally decorated and SAGE graced guests with some of their finest options. Money was raised through an auction that spanned the length of the evening. Kevin Ryan ?08 expands on this: ?Items ranged from Prep beach chairs to a trip to Italy with former Prep Classics teacher, Dr. Henry Bender ?63, and from a reserved parking spot in the plaza lot to Super Bowl tickets. There are some awesome items.?
"The financial aid budget is truly the cornerstone of the Prep?s ability to diversify its student body with students from all types of economic backgrounds while maintaining an effective institution" aspect of the Stand Up for the Prep event, however, is the fact that all proceeds go directly to the financial aid and scholarship budget. The financial aid budget is truly the cornerstone of the Prep?s ability to diversify its student body with students from all types of economic backgrounds while maintaining an effective institution. Since this night is pivotal in the funding of that budget, it is, by extension, pivotal to the Prep?s Arguably the most important success.
The guests at this year?s Stand Up event constituted every part of the greater adult Prep community - from alumni and former parents to current parents, faculty, and staff. Pretty much anyone who loves the Prep and values giving back is welcome to join in this great night. The night itself is very enjoyable for the guests, complete with a live band, dinner, drinks, and dancing.