Mary Reinhold to retire

BY PATRICIA KELLER
WEST MILFORD — The West Milford School District will say farewell to a familiar and friendly face at the end of this school year. Macopin Middle School Principal Mary Reinhold has submitted her resignation papers to retire on July 31, 2016 after 38 years in the district.

Born in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, Reinhold and her family moved to Oakland when she was 12 years old. In a 2008 interview with The Messenger, Reinhold said she wanted to be a teacher since childhood, often spending her days playing school with her cousin.

Reinhold graduated from Indian Hills High School in Oakland and earned her undergraduate degree in special education/elementary education from William Paterson University. Right out of college, she joined the staff at Macopin Middle School in 1978 with her best friend, Missy Blanc (Cavagnino) two years after the school’s opening. Reinhold was the school’s Basic Skills teacher for reading and math. She soon also became good friends with Raymond Johnson who was the school’s guidance counselor at the time.

In 1981, she married her high school sweetheart, Michael, and they moved to West Milford. Their two children, Karyn and Kevin, now adults, attended West Milford Schools, and her daughter is currently a teacher at Marshall Hill School.

In 1983, Reinhold became the technology facilitator/computer teacher for the school, and was instrumental in bringing the Apple Network to the school.

Meanwhile, she continued her education, completing her master’s degree in education from Mary Grove College, and later her master’s in education administration from Caldwell College. In 2005, Reinhold was appointed to the assistant principal position under Johnson, who had previously been appointed principal in 1999; and she was in charge of guidance and scheduling for Macopin’s 700 enrolled students.

Reinhold took over the reins as interim principal in 2009, after Johnson suffered injuries when he was hit by a car. Johnson did not return and formally retired on June 1, 2011 after a long leave of absence. Reinhold was officially appointed to the position of principal of Macopin Middle School on June 21, 2011, with her longtime friend and predecessor, Raymond Johnson by her side for the unanimous school board vote.

Reinhold has been the “Mom” figure of her Macopin family for over a decade. In an email to her staff on the day she submitted her retirement to the school board, Reinhold wrote that it was one of the most difficult emails she had ever written.

“I have spent hours praying about it because you know how attached I am to Macopin School. There were so many factors to weigh, but then (husband) Mike made a simple statement. He said, ‘What will be different three years from now? Will it be any easier for you to leave?’ The answer was no, it won’t be any easier. So I concentrated on the positives.”

She said she and her husband have lots of plans.

“I want to spend more time with my family…It’s just time to move on!”

Reinhold said she leaves Macopin “still blessed with that same best friend of 40 years (Cavagnino) and so many more. I have had the good fortune to work with people that will be my friends forever.”

But according to Reinhold, most importantly, Macopin School is at a good place.

“Are we perfect, of course not, but close to it,” she said. “We are a National School of Character, we have an amazing staff, (and) for the most part, our students are well behaved and respectful and understand the importance of being here!”

A week delayed because the meeting was postponed due to inclement weather, the school board unanimously approved Reinhold’s resignation for retirement on March 1.

Board Trustee Terry Dwyer said when she worked at the high school and was transferred to the middle school, Reinhold “…took me by the hand and made me feel so comfortable.” Dwyer said Reinhold is a wonderful person and will truly be missed.

Interim Superintendent Anthony Riscica said Reinhold definitely had “a family-like environment portrayed in her building."

Riscica shared a “moving moment” for him as an educator that he said happened on the last day of school last year.

“Looking out my window I see the school buses leaving on the last day, and the entire staff outside with Mary at the helm waving goodbye to the students on their buses…You don’t see that too often,” Riscica said.

“I want to thank you for all your dedication and support for our students and the families, and for all you’ve done for West Milford,” Riscica said to Reinhold.

“It’s been an honor and a pleasure to work for West Milford Public Schools for 38 years,” Reinhold said at the school board meeting.

She said she has worked as a teacher and an administrator over the years with a very supportive staff. “We try to support each other, and you can see that my staff, the Macopin family, is the most amazing group of people that I could ever work with."

She thanked the boards of education, past and present, for their time and support volunteering as trustees, and concluded her statement to the school board saying, “Thanks for the memories.” Reinhold then received a standing ovation from all present.

True to form, Reinhold told her staff, “I am not going to be able to dwell on this so let’s spend the rest of the year celebrating all the great things we have done together. Let’s also celebrate how we stuck together as a family when times were difficult. We have been through the good and the bad and we always make it work!”

At the conclusion of her email to her Macopin family, Reinhold wrote: “Well……….now that I have announced my retirement, what am I going to do? I am going to Disney World!”