Moscatello Graduating to 'Endless Weekend'

For most people, a high school career lasts just four years.

For Gil Moscatello, it’s lasted more than 40.

And now, in his 41st year as a faculty member of , the longtime assistant principal will end his career as an educator, and enter retirement on Dec. 24.

The road leading up to this point had its bumps, Moscatello said, but it was one he loved traveling on.

Moscatello entered the regional district in 1972, as a drafting and woodworking teacher, after spending a year in the Montgomery County, Maryland school district. Moscatello graduated Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) in 1971 from the industrial arts program, and received his master’s degree from Montclair State University in 1976.

The teaching position Moscatello occupied at Central opened when Mt. Olive High School was built, and teachers from the district (then consolidated with Mt. Olive Township) transferred to the new building.

Moscatello was also in the district when Mendham High School opened its doors to serve the Chesters and Mendhams, but never felt the need to pursue other opportunities.

“What I loved about this district, and this school in particular, was that we were never closed to (educational) ideas and risks,” Moscatello said. “I was always professionally stimulated, and never felt the need to go elsewhere.”

As a teacher, Moscatello oversaw the woodworking class and also taught architecture. Central was one of the first schools in the state to have a CAD (computer-aided design) machine, and the strides it made in technology was instrumental in Moscatello’s experience.

“To see the look on a student’s face when they’ve completed something–there’s pride there,” Moscatello said. “Their look says ‘this is what I learned,’ and that’s a great feeling.”

Moscatello went from teacher to supervisor, now more commonly known as lead teacher, where he oversaw up to four classrooms at once. In 1993, after a curriculum audit at the school, an assistant principal position was created, and Moscatello took the next step in his career.

The ‘Dream Team’

It was that next step, and one of his colleagues, that helped mold Moscatello’s career into what it has become today.

“The next 15 years working alongside Dr. Reilly was one of the most professionally-rewarding experiences of my career,” Moscatello said. “We had some wonderful teams–with Randy Evans, Kent Schilling, Anne Steffan and Dave Lobron–the school was fantastic.”

“It was like a dream team,” said Dave Lobron, West Morris Central’s vice principal from 1978 to 2005. “We compensated for each other­–we played on each other’s strengths and worked very well together.”

Lobron, who began his career at Central as a guidance counselor in 1973, said the assistant principal position was perfect for Moscatello.

“Gil was always behind the scenes, getting everything done,” Lobron said. “He always had the determination, the ability to follow a project through to the end.”

Lobron reminisced about the time when Central was about to add the music room to it’s structure, and Moscatello took it upon himself–on his own time–to demolish the existing area and prepare it for construction.

“The next you thing you know, Gil is out there with a jackhammer taking care of the demolition,” Lobron said. “No one asked him to do that. He just did it on his own. He did what it took to make the school go.”

In Good Times and In Bad

Throughout the course of a 40-year career, the journey can’t always be seamless. Moscatello endured everything from student tragedy to contract-less years during his tenure, but points to one monumental instance that changed how he looked at Central.

“The morning of 9/11 was surreal,” Moscatello said. “You just knew that something horrible had gone wrong.”

Moscatello said the administrators stood outside after the final bell that day, helping students get onto their respective buses. When the lot had cleared out, the air became quiet.

“The National Guard had put an air net over the metro area,” Moscatello said. “A jet flew right over the school. That’s when I knew it was real–it was never going to be the same again. It was going to change (the students’) lives forever.”

Moscatello says the attacks on September 11, 2001 amounted to the worst day of his professional career.

Uncertainty within the district wasn’t lost on the administrator, either. After Reilly retired, Central was unable to hire a new principal due to budgetary constraints.

“[Moscatello] stabilized the district during a tumultuous time,” said . “When we asked if he could step in as the interim principal not once, but twice, he had no problems helping out.”

di Battista, who assumed his position in the district in 2005, calls Moscatello the ‘James Brown’ of administrators for his work ethic.

“He’s one of the hardest working administrators I’ve ever seen,” di Battista said. “He was the perfect complement to [Dr. Mike] Reilly. His leadership .”

A building addition to Central, which took place in 2005, was the first major project of di Battista’s tenure, and Moscatello was a major part of its implementation.

“Gil went over blueprints to make sure everything looked right and he climbed scaffolds with me during the project,” di Battista said. “He helped send accurate information to Trenton during the whole process. He was a major component of that project.”

Working up the ranks during his tenure, Moscatello was primed to take on lead duties at Central, but wanted what was best for the school.

“,” Moscatello said. “To be a successful principal, you need to make a 5-7 year commitment at least, and when the opportunity was there, I wasn’t ready to make that commitment.”

Moscatello, who turns 62 in January, said his target date for retirement was already set, and, for the good of the school, did not want to change that.

Handing Over the Keys

Moscatello felt it necessary to make sure the school community would be in good hands after his departure, and that’s why he stayed an extra half year to help mentor the new head principal, Steve Ryan.

“We were immediately able to strike a professional and personal relationship,” . “He takes a team approach to everything, and he feels responsible for the health and wellness of the school community.”

Moscatello’s core values and his love for and connection with the school community helps make him the administrator he is, Ryan said.

“He’s got the product knowledge. He wants what’s best at all times,” Ryan said. “He’s hard working and wants what’s right for these kids. We’re all going to miss him.”

For the district that gave him so much, and the school he gave so much to, Moscatello believes great things can and will happen for years to come. But first, changes need to be made.

“This is a great district, but we need to get back to being a premier district,” he said. “The school board isn’t focused anymore. Boards have disputes, and that’s a positive–but we can’t have single-mindedness. This district can do even more if we can get back to the education commitment.”

Moscatello said the district needs to go back to being forward-thinking and to take risks. He feels planning and budgeting are essential to positive change, and that it all begins with the district’s leadership.

“Educators love change,” he said. “We need to have motivation–we can’t make change just for change sake. But we don’t want people to be stuck on a treadmill, either.”

An ‘Endless Weekend’

So what does one do after committing 40-plus years to a single institution?

“People ask if I’m going to do side work or pick up another job,” Moscatello said. “If I was going to work, I’d just stay here!”

Despite having plenty of time on his hands, Moscatello is sure his family will fill that void nicely.

“I’ve been blessed with three children, who have given me eight wonderful grandchildren, and they’re all within 20 minutes of where we live,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being part of their lives.”

The former woodworking teacher, assistant football coach, supervisor and assistant principal says he’s looking forward to his endless weekend, but will miss many aspects of what made his career so special.

“Watching students achieve so many things is such a great feeling,” he said. “It happens everyday, and then you get to see them move on to the next phase of their life and accomplish more.”

Now Moscatello is moving on–graduating, if you will–to the next phase of his life to accomplish even more.

With his track record at Central, though, he seems to have already achieved everything one person can.