Paul Alioto prepares for his new job as Fisher's principal
By Leigh Ann Maze
After an eight-day drive across the country with his dog Mollie, new Fisher Middle School principal Paul Alioto, 35, has finally landed in Los Gatos.
Alioto arrived at Fisher on July 17 to take over the principalship from Cullen Hewitt, who officially retires Aug. 30, after 15 years there.
Alioto comes to Los Gatos from Tupper Lake, N.Y., where he worked for four years as principal of Tupper Lake Middle High School for students in grades seven through 12. Hedecided to come to Los Gatos primarily because he wanted to focus on middle-school-age students.
"I've enjoyed my experiences in middle school more than any other age," Alioto said. "You can be more creative and more focused on programs and instruction with them. They are at that age where if you do it right, you can maintain their curiosity."
The warm California weather is an added bonus to Alioto's new position. His brother, his brother's wife and two sons live in Los Gatos, as well.
"I fell in love with the community," Alioto said. "The support for education is just tremendous. I can't imagine a more rewarding environment to work in as a middle school principal. It's almost surreal."
While Los Gatos is obviously very different from New York, there are things Alioto said he will miss. In a telephone interview in May, he was sitting in his office at Tupper Lake Middle High School watching bald eagles outside his window.
"I will miss being this close to wildlife," said Alioto, who loves hiking, hunting and fishing. Most of all, Alioto said he will miss the students, faculty and parents at Tupper Lake.
Alioto was born and raised in Rosedale, a suburb of New York City. Except for a brief stint as a baseball player with the Dutch Baseball Federation in Holland in the early '90s, Alioto has dedicated his life to education. "I felt I didn't have a right to teach global studies if I had never lived in another country," he said of his short career in baseball.
Alioto began his education career in 1988, teaching social studies to seventh-and 10th-grade students on Long Island. After returning from Holland, Alioto worked as a guidance counselor at a Catholic school in Brooklyn while pursuing his master's degree in guidance and counseling.
After finishing his master's, Alioto taught courses to beginning and experienced teachers while earning his doctorate in teaching and curriculum from Syracuse University. Alioto was an intern principal for one year in New York before becoming principal at Tupper Lake.
"Paul is someone who is a strong leader, good decision-maker and a kind and caring person, and that is the combination we were looking for," said Los Gatos Union School District superintendent Mary Ann Park.
Alioto came to Los Gatos in May for two days of interviews by two panels of teachers, parents, administrators, classified staff, LGUSD board members and district administrators. Park said he came out as the top applicant, so Park, LGUSD board member Steve Glickman and a Fisher teacher flew to Tupper Lake on May 8 for a site visit. They talked to students, teachers, community members and anyone they could find about Alioto.
"It was really a team consensus that he was the best person for the job," Park said. Alioto signed his LGUSD contract in May. He hopes to find an apartment close to the middle school for himself and Mollie.
For his first year on the job, Alioto said he wants to understand how everything works at Fisher and get to know the teachers, students, parents and community.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
