New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Longtime Branford educator Mark Rabinowitz dies
BRANFORD — Mark Rabinowitz, an educator who saw the best in each child and the glass as half full, died peacefully on March 1, his family said. He was 71.
An inductee in Branford’s Education Hall of Fame, Rabinowitz’s education career spanned more than 40 years. He retired as principal of Mary R. Tisko Elementary School in 2010 but continued working as a sought-after school psychologist in various schools until last June, even when he was on full-time oxygen, his wife Fran Rabinowitz said.
“He just loved kids, and he cherished them. He saw the good in everyone. He never saw anything negative in people,” Fran Rabinowitz said. “And I think that’s why he was so good at being an educator. As a principal, many times you’re dealing with the kids that are having some issues, right? He loved them all.”
Mark Rabinowitz had been ill, experiencing difficulty with breathing for the past five years and eventually relying on oxygen 24/7, Fran Rabinowitz said. The hospice doctor said he felt he knew Mark Rabinowitz because so much of the staff either went to his school or had kids in his school, she said.
Rabinowitz began his career as a school psychologist. At age 32, he became principal of John B. Sliney Elementary School. He was integral in making Tisko School what it is today, according to current principal Jim O’Connor, by helping expand what was then Damascus School from K-2 to K-4.
O’Connor, who became principal of Tisko after Mark Rabinowitz’s 19 years in the position, said Mark Rabinowitz was humble and always put kids first.
“He was the foundation of our school and our community,” O’Connor said. “He is the essence of everything we do in our community. He’s created a great foundation for Branford in his tenure here. He’s irreplaceable.”
Mark Rabinowitz’s mantra at Tisko was “being the best you could be,” Fran Rabinowitz said. His approach to learning included continuously monitoring student data, leading to high performance outcomes and the Institute for Educational Excellence Award, according to Branford’s Education Hall of Fame.
Mark Rabinowitz knew each student’s name and learning performance, included lessons about values in his morning announcements and attended all school functions, the hall of fame’s website says.
“Dressing up for Halloween, spending the night with 100 fourth graders in the gymnasium and jumping into the swimming pool with the fourth graders at the end of each school year are part of his humanistic persona,” it says.
His connections with students were lasting, as Mark and Fran Rabinowitz were often invited to former students’ weddings.
Fran Rabinowitz is also an educator. The two met when Mark Rabinowitz was a school psychologist.
They were married for 43 years. This past Valentine’s Day, Fran Rabinowitz had to leave town for a conference, but when she got back, Mark Rabinowitz had a huge bouquet of flowers waiting for her, she said. They have three
children and six grandchildren.
Fran Rabinowitz said Mark Rabinowitz was patient, gentle and nurturing. He loved Jimmy Buffett and Judy Collins. And he was most comfortable wearing T-shirts, shorts
and sandals.
“That was his favorite outfit, and that’s how he faced life,” Fran Rabinowitz said. “He wasn’t ever uptight or he didn’t worry about what others thought. He just was genuinely himself.”