Dr. Mosenthal: Leader, Cheerleader, Pillar...Donkey?

There is no reason to write anything mawkish about Dr. Scott Mosenthal's impending retirement from Irvington High School; I'll write no elaborate epitaph for his career at IHS—first as a teacher, then a department chair and finally as principal.

He has another full school year, and Dr. Mosenthal hopes to make the most of it.

"I'd love to see a new turf field, but that won't happen before I leave," Mosenthal said. He also said he'll have his hands full overseeing the New York State-mandated teacher and administrator reviews and making sure the high school curriculum complies with the national Common Core Standards. Oh, and then there's breaking in a new Superintendent. 

Mosenthal has no intention of making sweeping changes to a school he already thinks is pretty great; he also has no intention of taking an interim position anywhere else.

"If I were going to do that, why wouldn't I stay in Irvington?" he said.

Mosenthal describes his legacy in Irvington having filled the school with great teachers and staff. 

"I am proud of creating a climate in which teachers feel supported, kids feel appreciated and parents feel listened to," he said. "If you don't surround yourself with great people, you have no chance of being successful."

Yet his leadership, many believe, is what sets that tone in Irvington.

Mosenthal attends sports events, school concerts, knows his students by name, delivers speeches at graduation that leave the audience actually laughing—even when it's 110 degrees outside—

He even makes cameo appearances in school plays.

"I only do that when there aren't enough kids to fill the cast," he said emphatically. "I'd never take away a role from a student."

His favorite performance was when the drama club staged Lucky Stiff.

"I was a corpse in a wheelchair and basically slept through the whole thing—which was easy because people often see me dozing off during board meetings," he joked. "During one part, there was a dream sequence and I had to get up, but that was it."

He also enjoyed playing a donkey in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

"That's been a lot of fun," Mosenthal said. 

What wasn't fun was watching one or two kids slip through the cracks during his years leading the school. "That's been the most frustrating part of my job," he said. "There weren't many kids whose needs I don't believe we met; but that's what kept me up at night, wondering why we couldn't reach those few."

In retirement, Mosenthal hopes to travel with his wife—maybe to the Grand Canyon, Bermuda or Ireland. "I'm excited to retire when I still have the energy to do all those things," he said.

Mosenthal, who started his career as an English teacher, will also catch up on his reading: historical fiction, general fiction (he's open to recommendations.)

Having weathered transitions between nine different superintendents since he came to Irvington and serving—he believes—as a constant through all that turbulence was his greatest challenge. 

"Managing to be there for the kids and making sure they had positive experiences in school, in spite of everything else being in flux, is what I'm proudest of," he said.

But he's so young! Why is Mosenthal retiring now?

"I am as enthusiastic now as I was when I was 37," he said. "The last thing I want to do is become 'that dinosaur principal' and overstay my welcome. I would never do this job half-way—having been able to have the energy and motivation to go to all of the community events and cheer on all our sports teams is such a blessing."

What are your favorite Dr. Mosenthal anecdotes?  Post them in the comments.