Game over: Farewell to Annunziata after 35 impressive years

stant, kind presence amongst his colleagues for his entire time at the school, Associate Director for Middle Division Athletics Robert Harmon said. “He’s been a mainstay of the athletic department.”

Throughout his 35-year tenure at the school, Director of Athletics, Health & Physical Education Robert Annunziata has reshaped the athletics department — from creating more sports teams for female students to mandating all students become certified in CPR. He will retire at the end of this year, handing off the position to Physical Education teacher Matthew Russo. Annunziata has been a

Over the years, Annunziata has overseen various facility renovations, including Prettyman Gymnasium, Four Acres, and the HM in Motion campaign, which built the athletic trainers’ suite, the Simon Family Fitness Center, and The Jeffrey H. Loria Family Aquatics Center.

One of Annunziata’s first initiatives when he began working at the school in 1988 was to remodel the fitness center. “We had a Universal Gym apparatus in a small room with some miscellaneous pieces of weight equipment,” he said. With the school’s support, Annunziata refurbished equipment obtained from a New York City health club and brought it to the school.

“The equipment pieces created not only a viable place for our athletes to condition but also a viable place for teachers to pursue a fitness and wellness curriculum,” he said.

Following that, he implemented a major initiative when renovating Prettyman Gymnasium: creating an accessible girls’ locker room. When he arrived, girls had to walk around the entire building just to get to their locker room. After they refurbished the locker rooms, the administration also created a central hallway so all athletes could walk through the building more efficiently.

Annunziata also developed an interest in sports uniforms when he arrived at the school. He wanted all athletic clothing to clearly represent the Lions, so he placed the interlocked H and M on school uniforms and athletic equipment. “People know what HM represents, and a large part of that is because athletics is a visible entity outside of the walls of Horace Mann School,” he said.

In addition to Annunziata’s position as Director of Athletics, Health & Physical Education, he has also coached multiple teams, including Varsity Football, Golf, Girls Basketball, Fencing, and multiple Middle Division (MD) sports.

Max Chasin (12) formed a close bond with Annunziata throughout his time playing water polo and basketball at the school. “He’s always been generous and has done his best to be outgoing and inclusive, and make me and other athletes feel like we’re part of a broader Horace Mann community.”

Annunziata’s leadership was memorable to Will Chasin (9), a member of Boys Varsity Lacrosse, as well. Annunziata encouraged the seniors on the team to be role models and set a good example for the underclassmen, he said. “He made sure that everybody came to practice leading up to the playoff game — even though it was on a Saturday, everyone did end up coming to the game.”

When Sophie Pietrzak (11) first met Annunzi ata in seventh grade, he quick ly became one of her big gest support systems at the school.

“From the second I’ve stepped foot into the school he’s always been there for me,” she said. “I know I can always go to his office and he’ll be there and I can just talk things through, whether it’s about a field hockey play or a larger thing in my life.”

Responsible for the Health and Physical Education Department from Kindergarten through 12th grade, Annunziata is grateful for the bonds he has formed with the entire student body, he said. “The fact that our students have benefited from the opportunities of their participation is really the most important aspect of what my role has been and should be.”

Working closely with Annunziata has also been a privilege for Head of School Dr. Tom Kelly. “I can’t ever remember a conversation wherein Mr. Annunziata hasn’t put a student’s needs, or a teacher’s desire to do more or better, first,” Kelly said. “He’s a true ambassador of HM and he lives and breathes our Mission and Core Values.”

Varsity Volleyball Coach Ja son Torres echoed Kelly’s sentiment.

“When Mr. Annunziata started here, for example, we didn’t have any middle school teams,” he said. “Now we have probably one of the largest num ber of middle York City.”

Annunziata is proud of the legacy he has left for the Athletics department, he said. “I think our program is in an incredibly good place. I’m very proud of the fact that I’m able to leave the program in a place better than where I found it.”

Annunziata is look- operational aspects and some of the sports chair positions he has within the League. “I’ll hopefully have some free time to come back and visit the Horace Mann community and cheer on the future Lions.”