Rinaldi comes full circle after first year
STAMFORD — Michael Rinaldi has a debt to pay. And he says he intends to pay it back with interest.
Rinaldi says he feels he owes the school, the same place where he found his passion for teaching when he was a student there in the 1980s. And now, a few weeks after wrapping up his first year as principal, he says he is giving back by working to make “The Hill” a place where both students and teachers can thrive.
“I want Westhill to be a place where every single student feels cared for and valued as a person and a learner and they understand and see evidence that every opportunity here is in their grasp,” he said. “I want every adult who works here to feel valued and cared for by their principal and by each other so
that they can do the incredibly important work of providing that environment for kids.”
In his first year as principal, students credited Rinaldi, 53, for increasing school spirit at Westhill. In the fall, the school created its first lip dub video under Rinaldi’s leadership, featuring Stamford police, fire, faculty, hundreds of students and the principal himself singing along to Imagine Dragon’s “Thunder.” Rinaldi is also known as a kind of ssurrogate football coach, frequently giving pep talks to the team.
Rinaldi’s own school spirit is evident — he frequently sports Westhill gear and his strong Twitter presence is peppered with heart emojis in the school colors of purple and yellow and hashtags like WHSpride. On Instagram, you can find videos of his messages to “Viking Country,” often recorded from classrooms where he’s joining in on lessons that have included throwing clay in art class and handling chicks in AP Biology.
Students note Rinaldi’s friendly and receptive presence. Each morning from 6:45 to 7:30, he’s stationed in front of the school greeting students. He also blocks off time in his day to visit classrooms and roam the halls. In the last year, he’s introduced a senior survey, senior “fishbowl” (where the upperclassmen discuss their Westhill experience with faculty) and the Principal’s Report Card to help collect data and get internal feedback on the school.
“When you’re principal, if you allow yourself to get isolated, you lose touch with the energy and pulse of the building,” Rinaldi said. “Being connected and aligned with that helps you to lead and make decisions a bit more collaboratively. I believe very strongly in teacher voice. I believe very strongly in student voice.”
However, the Stamford native shrugs off credits for improving school spirit, saying he simply helped ideas flourish. He cites the district mission statement for little things he does, like reaching out personally to a student in need.
“You allow it to come to you,” he said. “You feel it. It’s a habit of heart. The principal needs to model what they want to see in their building.”
Rinaldi returned to Stamford schools as a fifth-grade teacher at Northeast Elementary School after graduating Westhill in 1982 and is now going on his 31st year in the district. Prior to joining Westhill last year, he worked in seven schools at various levels, most recently as an assistant principal at Rippowam Middle School.
“I would have never even dreamed of being principal of Westhill because I would’ve felt it was too greedy,” he said. “Not only is this where I went to school — this was where I discovered I wanted to teach. If someone said to me 10 years ago, ‘Write up the last leg of your journey with Stamford Public Schools,’ I would’ve never suggested this because I thought it would be far too greedy. It’s a big deal for me.”
The journey to his dream role was not easy for Rinaldi. Long before the #MeToo movement began, Rinaldi was an ally in the battle against sexual misconduct by speaking out publicly against socalled separation agreements that allowed teachers accused of inappropriate behavior to leave a school in exchange for pay, benefits and a recommendation so they could work elsewhere. As a result, Connecticut passed a law prohibiting this practice known as “pass the trash.”
“What’s more important than student safety?” he said when asked about the motives behind his speaking out. “What’s more important than protecting kids? I would’ve rather lost my job when I found out what was going on than remain silent.”
Board of Education chair David Mannis met Rinaldi while the two were working on the “pass the trash” legislation prior to Mannis being voted onto the school board. Mannis said he was impressed by Rinaldi even back then.
“I was delighted when his file appeared in front of us for principal,” Mannis said. “Our support for him has been confirmed. I think he’s doing a great job. You can’t miss when you go there, the spirit he’s able to share with the kids.”