Meet Mendham Township Middle School’s New Assistant Principal

Mendham Township, NEW JERSEY (October 18, 2022) – Mr. Nicholas Angrisani, is the newly appointed Assistant Principal of Mendham Township Middle School (MTMS). While he is getting to know educators, staff, and students at MTMS he took some time to talk about education and share some of his reflections on being a student himself.

For the past seven years, Mr. Angrisani was a Special Education Teacher and Technology Trainer at Hillsborough Middle School supporting literacy, science, social studies, and study skills. He is a Kean University alumnus with a master's degree from The University of Nottingham in England, and Principal Certification from Thomas Jefferson University.

Q. Can you provide a brief overview of your philosophy on education and managing student behavior?
As soon as a child enters the academic world, we are helping them to prepare for life. When a student enters middle school, their learning environment transitions into a more self-reliant and independent structure. Instead of material being presented, students want to engage, to understand the relevance, and to be challenged. They want to discover! I firmly believe in optimizing instructional time by providing meaningful learning experiences for students. You can read about teamwork but collaborating with fellow students on a project is a far more enriching and meaningful experience. This is a good example of what I mean by optimizing instructional time. We have a rigorous curriculum in place to engage all of our students. We challenge our students while providing them with the necessary support to succeed and to grow. Most importantly, we continue to focus on supporting the growth of the “whole student.” We want our students to advance academically AND socially and emotionally.

When it comes to managing behavior, I am a firm advocate of restorative practices and positive reinforcement. Ideally, the focus includes identifying any learning opportunities. The goal is to advance, discover new options, and prevent a negative pattern being established.

Q. Can you share a childhood experience/memory that influenced and perhaps shaped your philosophy on education?
As a child going to elementary, middle and then high school, I learned that trust is absolutely essential between the educator and the student. Not only is trust important for learning the required curriculum, but also for a child’s overall development and growth. If a child does not trust you then there is a “gulf” between the student and teacher that impairs the student’s ability to learn. Educators should strive to act as a mentor to their students, understanding that each child is different due to their culture, experiences, and socio-economic background. From a personal reflection, when a teacher or coach built a rapport with me based on trust, then my motivation and self-confidence increased dramatically. This reiterates the point I raised earlier, I believe that utilizing the “whole student approach” can ensure that each student can feel supported both in and out of school.

Q. We live in a fast-evolving environment (pandemic, technology advancements, media communications), can you suggest one or two questions that parents should be asking their children on a regular basis?
“How was school today? Can you tell me something that you learned?” These openers may seem like simple questions, yet they are incredibly powerful in putting an emphasis on wanting to know what your child is thinking and doing when they are not with you during the day. Not only asking a child what they learned, but what they thought about the lesson is a nice way to open a dialogue and demonstrate interest in their reasoning capabilities. You may be surprised and impressed by their insights and the conclusions they are forming.

I am also a big advocate of parents asking their children if they want to go for a quick walk. Going outside and enjoying fresh air is great for getting everyone away from long “screen times.” I truly believe that time with the family is everything and going for a walk naturally starts everyone chatting without putting pressure on any one person.

Q. On a lighter note, if you were talking to a student, how would you finish this sentence: "Growing up, I … ."
Growing up … well growing up, I made a discovery about myself. Growing up I learned to cook, and I learned that I loved to cook! It may seem a little unusual, but even as a child I began to enjoy researching ingredients for a dish, preparing them, and then creating a dish. I loved the reaction from my family and friends as we tasted the dish I had prepared. When I was in middle school, I began to up my game, and would even prepare a full meal! Everyone in my life supported me with their enthusiasm, I enjoyed making people happy, and I have great memories of conversations around some of the meals I had made. So, I would say to students that growing up, I found I could learn to do something that made me very happy and I would encourage students today to take time and maybe try some new things. You never know, you may surprise yourself with how much fun you are having as you learn to do something new.

Thank you, Mr. Angrisani for taking the time to talk and share your insights with us.