The Catskill Chronicle

All’s well that ends well. RCS Superintendent John Evans holds his kindergarten diploma from Roscoe Central School.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

ROSCOE – It’s a good thing for Roscoe’s new superintendent that the statute of limitations on elementary school misdeeds has run out, or at least he hopes so.

Back when he was going to classes at Roscoe Central School a few years ago, John Evans was out on the playground when a ball crashed though the window of the school’s business office where his grandmother worked, and he found himself standing before principal Minard “Mike” Branning in the day’s before Roscoe had a superintendent.

Once former superintendent Carmine Giangreco decided to head to a warmer climate in the south, Craig Stevens took over as interim superintendent for a few short months until Evans was picked to take over the driver’s seat.

Evans graduated from Roscoe in 1989 and after getting his high school diploma, attended classes in technical education at SUNY Brockport and later SUNY Oswego, earning a bachelor’s and then a master’s in Technology Education.

He started his career in the challenging yet rewarding field of education at Hammondsport Central School District, and then transferred to Livingston Manor Central School as Director of Technology and Athletic Director.

Evans then accepted a job at Fallsburg Central School District for a four-year a stint, beginning as Assistant High School Principal.

A brief six moths into his job at “The Home of the Comets”, Evan was asked to take over the technology department and last year was promoted to Assistant Superintendent serving under Dr. Ivan Katz.

Just three days after officially taking over as Roscoe’s newly minted superintendent, Evans sat down in his richly wood-paneled office to meet the local press in the guise of The Catskill Chronicle.

In response to the question “Why did you want to be a superintendent?”, he replied, “I like working with people at the administrative level to help kids, and the next step was to become involved in all aspects, to really make a difference in the lives of kids, and if teachers are happy, the whole building has a good feeling about it.”

Evans recalled that sitting down at a table during the interview process for the superintendent’s position was in essence like a double-edged sword.

“Knowing the people – board members, community members, teachers and students – was in some ways relaxing, and in other ways it was a heightened sense of anxiety because they knew me as ‘John’, but not in my role as an educational professional.”

Evans said that one of the things he brought to the table was a vested interest in being successful.

“I have friends and family here…I’m not using this as a stepping stone to make a name for myself and move on. This is my home, this is where I grew up.”

He said that one of the unique things about a small rural school like Roscoe is the personal ad often long-lasting relationships formed between teachers and students. “They’re not just a number, not just another person in a seat.”

As a case in point, Evans; former Physical Education teacher Fred Ahart is still at
“The Home of the Blue Devils” as Athletic Director and Coach, while Marie
Sullivan Smith who used teach computers is now instructing business-related courses.

“Computers have changed a lot since I was in school,” he said. “We had an old Commodore computer lab and you could make your name run up and down the screen, and that was about it.”

What about the switch from student to superintendent?

“Everyone was very welcoming,” said Evans. “They are as excited as I am excited…we all have this feeling that good things are going to happen.”

Evans recalled that it was Al Sullivan, his former high school physics teacher who pointed him in the direction of becoming an educator.

Sitting in his new office with a lot of local history lurking in the mists of time, Evans said he feels a sense of history, particularly in the superintendent’s lair and in the library, both of which are resplendent with the original wood paneling from when the building first opened in 1939.

During a recent construction project, an old ca. late 1800s brass school bell was discovered once again in a storage area.

Over the years, it’s been found in strange places and then tucked away again only to be unearthed by another generation.

“It’s an exciting time for Roscoe,” said Evans. “I think there’s a tone of excitement in the staff, and we have people who want to try new things, people who aren’t afraid to try new things and make our school the best it can be.”

“Because we’re so small, we have the ratio to give our students very personalized attention.”

To view more photos or to purchase prints from John Evans Looks to the Future visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.