Schools
Wm. Mason's Melucci Committed to Enhancing Technology Instruction
While not a tech guru himself, principal Dave Melucci embraces technology.
- Name: Dave Melucci, 36, is about to embark on his first full year as principal of . The veteran educator has 14 years of experience. On Feb. 14, he assumed leadership of the Montville school.
- Why Education: “As soon as I finished my college career as a student, I got into coaching baseball,” said the graduate. “And then I got into teaching. And as I was teaching, it just seemed like the next logical progression,” he explained of becoming a principal. “I enjoyed being in the classroom, but I also enjoyed working as somewhat of a team leader. So, I went back for my master's at a pretty young age.” Melucci was 24 when he finished his graduate degree at Saint Peters College. From there he landed a position as an assistant elementary principal in Sparta. After seven years in Sparta, he applied for the principal position at William Mason.
- Why Montville: "For (Montville) to be nominated one of the . I think it’s pretty impressive. So, I’m proud to say that I work here. I’m proud to be a part of this community.” Melucci feels Montville is similar to Livingston, his hometown. “I wanted to find a district very similar to the one I was coming from and the one I grew up in. To me, Montville kind of met those needs.” He also wanted to be closer to home. “And I wanted to be in a good district. It has a great reputation.”
- The Interview: became superintendent of the Montville Township School system in July of 2010. Since his arrival, the interviewing of potential new principals has been handled by committees made up of teachers, secretaries, administrators, board members, students, parents and Fried. “I don’t want to exaggerate and say it was grueling, but it was a tough process,” noted Melucci. “Because it was more than just meeting with a superintendent who may or may not like you. This process I think was a better process in the long run because I think people feel they had a stake in the hiring process.” In addition, Melucci acknowledged that going through the committee process gave him a better sense of the job and the community. “If you make it through that process you feel like you proved yourself to more people and you’re deserving of the job.”
- Favorite Thing about Montville: “The staff that I work with,” Melucci said is his favorite thing about Montville. He is pleased that both the staff that hired him and the staff that he manages are great to work with.
- Something You Would Like to See Changed: Though Melucci feels newcomers should take a step back before jumping in and making changes, he plans on initiating change by building consensus. “You can’t just make change,” he said. “You have to get others to buy into it. You have to have a shared vision. I think Dr. Fried said it best when he hired me: ‘Change is an evolution not a revolution.’” One of his goals for the coming school year is to find ways to integrate technology on the elementary education level. He would also like to encourage more green initiatives and eliminate the piles of paper that are often distributed to students and families. To that end he plans to investigate educational opportunities in technology like the has recently implemented. He also intends to establish a more thorough e-mail distribution of information. “We need to step up our technology instruction and somehow integrate that in all subject areas,” explained Melucci. "We need to prepare them technologically for what they are going to have to do in the workforce.” While Melucci is not technology fanatic himself, he wants to learn, and he recognizes the importance of technology in all careers. He plans to lobby to for new technology.
- Goals: As Melucci embarks on his first full year as principal he personally intends to focus on building a strong relationship with parents. “Year one there was a lot of meet and greet,” said Melucci. “I want parents to know that they can always sit down and communicate with me. Answers might not always be what they want to hear, but they know they are going to get a calm response, a consistent response, a respectful response. So, I would like to start to build relationships this year… as a goal for myself.” With regards to goals for the school, Melucci said, “We’re going to sit down as a staff and develop goals. That way we all have a stake in it. We’re going to have a shared vision.”
- Career: Since he was 21, Melucci has coached baseball and hockey. He is familiar with how to effectively teach older students. However, Melucci chose elementary education as his concentration because in his experience, “Working with kids in the K-5 setting, they’re more pliable. They’re more open to what you have to say…You can make a bigger difference.” In Sparta, Melucci’s school supported 900 students. William Mason welcomes its roughly 300 students on Wednesday. “It’s a small school,” Melucci said. “Which I like. I think it’s more intimate that way.”
- Initiatives: Melucci said there is pressure for districts to improve test schools. However, he said as a parent he is aware there is more to school than the academic, such as social skills and emotional growth. “I want them to come here and learn, and have fun, and feel safe.”
- Updates: Students and parents will notice some changes when arriving at school this year. “We had some shrubs that were overgrown and not very aesthetically pleasing,” said Melucci. Those shrubs have been removed and new landscaping will be put in place this fall after school begins. Afterschool clubs have also been restored to the school. “They’re going to be fun. There are going to be some challenging things to do, and some problem solving techniques, which is what we want kids to be, problem solvers,” Melucci said. Finally, the school’s lunch period has been condensed from 90 minutes to an hour, and the entire building will be eating lunch at the same time, said Melucci.
- Family: Melucci and his wife have been married 11 years. They have three daughters, ages 9, 6 and 4. “I’ve lived in Livingston all my life,” Melucci said.
- Hobbies: Softball, golf, working out and hockey are among Melucci’s hobbies. “I love sports. I love playing with my kids,” said Melucci. He also loves a good book, going to the beach and taking in a Yankees or Rangers game.
- Philosophy: “I believe that you need to treat people with respect. You have to have fun. You need to enjoy what you’re doing. You have to laugh a lot."
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