December 18, 2018
It is with great pleasure that I write a letter of recommendation for J. Dino Gisiano. Mr. Gisiano served as my Principal at Hopewell High School from 2013 until 2018. During his time as my supervisor, Mr. Gisiano was supportive as I worked to grow as an administrator. He provided me with regular feedback, allowed me plenty of opportunities to lead with staff and the community, and taught me how to collaborate with the stakeholders in the school community to foster positive change. I would characterize Mr. Gisiano as open-minded and creative when it came time to find ways to help students achieve.
Mr. Gisiano’s biggest accomplishment as Principal of Hopewell High School included the implementation of the Cambridge International Program. Mr. Gisiano began the conversation to start this elite program with parents, district staff, and legislative staff at the state level. This included spending countless hours in the community promoting and recruiting families for the program. At the end of the 2017-2018 school year, Mr. Gisiano expanded the Cambridge International Program to include options for all students to enroll in a Cambridge course. This opened opportunities for students to take upper-level courses that had not previously had the opportunity. Most recent Cambridge testing data shows that Hopewell students have outgained many other students in the district and state that take comparable advanced placement courses. Enrollment now exceeds 300 students. These gains are thanks in large part to Mr. Gisiano’s leadership, planning, and execution36 with the program.
lastly, Mr. Gisiano was dedicated to the success of students and staff in his time as my Principal. He was always creative in ways to try to reach a wide variety of learners to support their needs. It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation for Mr. Gisiano. Should you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the information below.
Jim Vanosdall
Assistant Principal
Hopewell High School
James.vanosdall@cms.kl2.nc.us
(704) 650-3360