Tom Duffy Announces His Retirement as Enfield High School Principal

principal Thomas Duffy has announced he will be retiring at the end of this school year.

He informed Superintendent of Schools John Gallacher of his decision last month, and told the faculty and staff at an emotional meeting shortly thereafter.

Duffy, 60, took over at Enfield High School on Jan. 11, 1999. He replaced interim principal Raymond Marr, who was filling in for the recently-departed Joe Gallucci.

Prior to arriving in Enfield, the Philadelphia native had 25 years experience as a teacher and administrator in Bristol, Fairfield and Longmeadow, MA.

His tenure in Enfield has been marked by moments of great triumphs and bitter sadness. He and the school have persevered through fire, floods, lawsuits, suicides, the Columbine shootings and 9/11.

"He will be greatly missed," longtime social studies department chair Dr. Frank Taylor said. "Tom Duffy is a warm, friendly, sincere, trustworthy man who has been loved by faculty and students. It is a great loss for the system."

Duffy sat down in his office with Enfield Patch Friday morning to talk about his years at Enfield High School.

EP: What prompted your decision to retire at this time?

TD: I hadn't thought of it until about a year and a half ago. High school to me is the only place to be; it's vibrant, it's not distant central, and this particular school's dynamics with great kids and terrific staff was kind of holding me in place. Then my aging mother took a fall, and we had to move her to a nursing home and sell her house. I'm traveling back and forth to Philadelphia every two weeks, a 550-mile round trip. She's 93, and that was the wild card that was the final piece that made my decision.

EP: The town is in the early stages of a massive high school consolidation project. Is this the right time to step down, before it becomes too involved?

TD: Halfway through or three-quarters of the way through would not be right, so that was part of my decision. There's no reason for me to go down a path and then pull out two years from now, at the point where you're getting to the crux of the curriculum change. I don't think that would have been proper, so that 's why I made the decision now.

EP: It hasn't always been an easy go here. Can you tell me about some of the hardships over the years?

TD: I've seen student deaths, expulsions, suspensions, floods. Along with the successes and the everyday gains and the everyday small victories, ther ehave been some major events, good and bad. Two things of any principal's life are student death affecting the school community, including suicides here, and expulsions. Those are the worst parts of the job.

EP: On the flip side, there have been some great accomplishments here during your tenure, including the boys basketball team winning the league tournament again last night and being top-ranked heading into the state tournament. What are some of the positive things that have happened since you've been here?

TD: I'm looking forward to St. Patrick's afternoon at the Mohegan Sun Arena with the Enfield High School community: parents, students, alumni and townspeople.

We had a kid named Rishi Kothari who got 800 in Math a few years ago, which was good for Enfield High School and the Enfield school system. It was a credit to all of us. Our academics reflect a steady growth and steady change.

We believe in the starfish. There is a starfish watermark on every one of our graduation programs for the last 10 years. It's based on the theory, 'One by one, you make a difference with one student, one at a time.'

EP: From the time you started here through today, what do you feel is the biggest change that has taken place?

TD: The curriculum and the way we assess students has been the biggest change. We no longer give grades; we give assessments, which is a big difference. We are working toward assessing skills; not only the answers, but the process to get there. That's what the CAPT is about.

EP: If you can possibly single out one memory that stands out most, what would it be?

TD: In 2001, we had a girl whose father was dying of cancer, and he wanted to see his daughter graduate. We staged a graduation in his hospital room, and we all did our part to make that happen. That was one of the most touching, important moments I can remember. It was deeply personal, but we did whatever it took to accomplish that. He died about three days later, but he was alert enough to know his daughter got her diploma.

EP: What looms next after you go out that door for the last time in June?

TD: I don't know, but I'm not planning to travel the world or do typical retirement stuff. I have two grandchildren now, and a mother I will attend to. I'm going to keep my mind open to the possibility of returning for interim work. I really enjoy working with our computer system.

I want to do some pleasure reading, personal reading. It's really hard to sit down and read for two or three hours and really enjoy it.

I'm certified in Spanish, so maybe I'll fill in as a long term sub if needed. I've observed great teaching techniques with our Spain program, and think I could enjoy teaching in the true sense of the word, teaching in a learning environment.

EP: When next year comes, or five years from now, what would you like people at Enfield High to think of when they hear the name Tom Duffy?

TD: That I was fair and honest, and gave my best to the students of Enfield. Everybody wonders if they've made a difference, but I think I gave my students a fair shake, and didn't shortchange anyone. Hopefully, they'll say Duffy made a difference.