GUILDERLAND — With a newly-minted MBA in accounting from Union College, Michael Paolino was 18 months into his first job at a big firm in Boston — "a great city, making good money," he said — when he realized something was missing.

"In the corporate world, I realized there were no intrinsic rewards; it was all outward. That's not how I wanted to be measured," said Paolino.
As a student at Shalmont, he had been influenced by his favorite teacher: "Mr. Bruce Bouck taught phys. ed. and was my baseball coach"," said Paolino. "We were preparing for a big game my junior year of high school when he collapsed at my feet." Bouck died of a heart attack.

"Our relationship as student and teacher, his passion for what he did, it's stayed with me all these years," said Paolino.

He shared this story Tuesday night, just after being named the new principal of Guilderland High School. The school board vote was unanimous; Paolino will earn $110,000.

Paolino spoke with great excitement about his new job and, at age 35, recounted the formative decision of his young adulthood with clarity and vigor.

After realizing he wanted something different from life than what the Boston firm had to offer, Paolino talked to his parents. They were both educators. His father spent 20 years as the assistant superintendent for business at Mohonasen, retiring from a similar post in the Albany City Schools. His mother was a GED supervisor at BOCES. Paolino returned to his home in Rotterdam and studied at Siena College to earn teaching certification in business education. (He had earned his bachelor’s degree at Union and later received administrative certification from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.)

"It's in the blood," Paolino said of teaching. His older brother is a middle-school principal. Only his younger sister broke ranks; she's an attorney. "We say she's the smart one," Paolino quipped.

His first teaching job was in Voorheesville. He was there for three-and-a-half years when he was offered an assistant principal's job at Watervliet Junior-Senior High School. Then, when an associate principal's job opened in Voorheesville, he returned.

"I have a love affair with Voorheesville," said Paolino.
He has been an associate principal and district data coordinator there for the past five years. He is especially enamored of Mark Diefendorf, the high school principal, whom he calls a mentor and best friend. "He's taught me the importance of being student-centered"of always asking, 'What is in the best interest of the student"'" said Paolino.

Asked why he's leaving Voorheesville, Paolino said, "It's always been my ambition to become a building principal. I always strive to be the best I can be. I consider myself a natural-born leader."

Paolino said he was attracted to Guilderland High School because of its academic record and because the district is "outstanding."

He is following a string of short-term principals at Guilderland.

When John Whipple retired in 2003 after 14 years as principal, he was replaced by Ismael Villafane who left after two years to return to Texas where he had spent decades as an educator. Frank Tedesco, a retired administrator who spent three decades in education, filled in until Michael Piccirillo was appointed in the fall of 2006. He left after 20 months to work as an assistant superintendent at Saratoga Springs. Harry Kachadurian, who had retired after 36 years in education, has since been filling in as an interim principal.

"I'm not looking at this as a short-term stepping-stone position," Paolino told The Enterprise Tuesday night. "I want to bring continuity."

Paolino has a standard three-year probationary appointment and is slated to begin work in mid-October. No firm date had been set, he said, because Voorheesville's high school principal has been on a leave of absence and the districts are waiting for his return.

While Guilderland's high school has about four times as many students as Voorheesville's, Paolino still plans to get to know students as well as staff.

"I told the students who interviewed me," he said, referring to the hiring process, which included student input, "that I was going to listen to what the students have to offer and I will. That's a commitment on my part."

One of the things he learned at Voorheesville, Paolino said, is how important it is to find what connects students to school. For him, as a high school student, athletics were key. "It could be art or music or sports, whatever it is that connects students to school is important," said Paolino.

"My goal, at first, is simply to listen and learn," he said. "I want to know as much as I can about the high school and its culture."

He said that not only is Voorheesville close to Guilderland in terms of distance but that the two districts share "a strong understanding." He already has good relationships, he said, with members of the Guilderland faculty and staff.

Paolino's family — his wife, Stacey, who is taking time off from her teaching career to be home with their 17-month-old twin boys — came with him to Tuesday's school board meeting.

"I believe in family and the connection to family," Paolino said. "My family is accepting the position with me. We want to be part of the Guilderland community."