Recommendation Letter for Dino Gisiano by Sarah Biancofiore

To who it may concern,

I had the pleasure of working with Dino Gisiano last year during my first year as PTSA (Parent, Teacher, Student Association) President. Principal Gisiano was a passionate leader who wanted every child to succeed. He was passionate about the academically gifted students and therefore brought the Cambridge International (CI) Program to Hopewell High School. He was reasonable about every student’s capability to reach such high expectations in all subject matters and thus allowed the program to morph into a more flexible program. This flexible CI program allowed programing for those who wanted to attain a Cambridge diploma, but also for those students who may excel in one or two subjects matters and simply wanted to challenge themselves and build an academic resume, but not necessarily obtain the full CI Diploma. Furthermore, he supported the students who were not in honors, advanced or CI classes by asking the PTSA to allocate funds to have incentives for these students when they improved end of course grades. For students who often had compliance issues, he asked we allocate funds for incentives for our Positive Behavior Incentive program and for our Behavior Modification Technician. All these incentives were based on reinforcing positive behavior and academic growth. He wanted the students to have a sense of
accomplishment and loved drawing attention to not only academic success but to students who showed great character and good choices.

Another wonderful leadership characteristic of Principal Gisiano was that he wanted to be available to anyone who needed him. Whether it was a parent or student, it was important for him to have time to address their needs, concerns or inquisitions. I personally witnessed him addressing students with concerns on several occasions and I had many encounters with parents who spoke highly of interactions with him.

Finally, I have spoken of Principal Gisiano being a passionate leader. With all positive attributes, there can be a down side. Being overly passionate about something can limit your possibilities. I found that if Principal Gisiano was initially passionate about something, I was free to disagree. He was willing to hear suggestions and consider other options.

While I can not speak to his leadership of the faculty and staff, I can say that he cared for them as evidenced by his occasional purchases for staff morale that were made from his own personal funds. I also know that he personally evaluated every staff member so that he could be in the know about how the classrooms were being run.

Over all, I feel that Principal Gisiano’s primary focus was the success of every student, and as a parent, I was very grateful for this fact!