Following the departures of Dr. Bruce Sabatini in 2022 and Dr. Timothy Gouraige in 2023, the NVRHS Board of Education sought out a long-term candidate to fill the principal position prior to the start of the school year. While their search for the future of the school is currently ongoing, they’ve found their man for the present.
Interim Principal Frank Scarafile is stepping into the role determined to protect the tight-knit Golden Knights community. “All I’m looking to do is fine-tune and tweak,” Scrafile said. He has the utmost confidence in the student body: “You’re gonna change the world and I want to see what you got.”
Scarafile began his teaching career in 1982 at Union City. Since then, he has been a teacher, coach, and assistant principal, so he is no stranger to the school environment. Most recently, he served as the superintendent of Little Ferry Public School for 18 years.
After retiring in the summer of 2023, he quickly realized he wasn’t ready for such a quiet lifestyle just yet, and decided he still wanted to make an impact on students’ lives. “Before I call it quits, I just want to see how it is to go back,” he said. So when he learned then principal Dr. Gouraige had taken the position of superintendent at Norwood Public School, he applied for the opening at NVOT. Even though Scarafile only intended to return for a few months, he was willing to tackle the role for the entire year to allow the district more time to find the right person.
Scarafile is focused on getting the building in the best shape possible. He’s ensured that air conditioning units are being repaired in hopes of a more comfortable classroom environment– specifically in the F-wing, where students have noticed extreme heat in some rooms and frigid temperatures in other rooms. He aims to focus on the aspects that have been overlooked in previous years. “We’ve let certain things go maintenance-wise. And I’m really big on [keeping the building clean] because this is a big investment for the community” he said. Scarafile understands he’s not here for the long haul, so he wants to raise the standards for quality of life at NVOT; he hopes to emphasize cleanliness and respect for the building.
Scarafile marks the third principal in the three years. And while the lack of a consistent leader has been a unique challenge for the class of 2025, Assistant Principal Robert Hyman said, “It’s been a positive experience. Each of them brought a unique style and energy to the building.” Scarafile has quickly established his presence with students and staff. Dr. Hyman said, “It didn’t take long for us to feel assured that Mr. Scarafile would continue to lead the building forward,”
Still, a new principal will be taking over next September, reaching four principals in the span of four years. The class of 2026 will have a new principal each year they’ve attended the school. So while the transitions between principals are yet to end, Scarafile just hopes his successor will be “somebody that really wants to be here, puts the time in, and cares. That’s the bottom line.” Scarafile said, “That makes a good principle in my eyes.”