Somerville High School’s new Headmaster John Oteri is hitting the ground running and optimistic about the future of the city’s educational programs.~Photo by Elizabeth Sheeran

By Elizabeth Sheeran

Somerville Schools Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi announced last week that John Oteri will be the new headmaster of Somerville High School when the next school year begins in September. He succeeds current headmaster Tony Ciccariello, who is stepping down after six years for health reasons.

Oteri, who was chosen through a months-long selection process with parent, faculty and student input, first came to Somerville High in 1999 as a Social Studies teacher following a career in social work, and is currently one of the school’s Assistant Principals and the Housemaster of Elm House. During his 13 years at the school, Oteri has served as Student Council Advisor and District-Wide Mentor Coordinator, and works directly with at-risk students and the school’s Mediation Program.

How does it feel to know that six months from now you’ll be headmaster here?

It’s been kind of a euphoric ride. A lot of my colleagues I’ve worked with my entire career here have been really supportive. It’s been great soaking it in for now, briefly, until we roll up our sleeves.

You first came to Somerville High as a Social Studies teacher 13 years ago, in 1997, when most of today’s seniors were in kindergarten. What are some of the biggest changes you have seen in those 13 years, in teaching, at Somerville High and in the world your students are experiencing every day?

The use of technology has accelerated, especially in the last six or seven years. I think the teaching techniques have really changed a lot. I think we’ve gotten better at teaching. You see a lot more differentiated instruction, more focused instruction. Certainly, the passage of the MCAS requirement for graduation is something that we’re very aware of. It’s made it a high stakes test: you either pass it or don’t graduate. I think socially, when I first started teaching it was a different world, then after September 11, 2001, that changed. We’ve seen that, we’ve seen a lot of different things in the world that have impacted us here in Somerville, whether it’s the Haitian earthquake, and the impact on our students who have family there. That’s been an emotional moment, with the outpouring from the community and the mobilization of our students, rallying around their classmates. (schools that have opened…Dilboy Stadium). At the high school, the explosion of extracurricular activities for our kids. There has been a lot of positive and I hope to continue to build on that.

What do you think is going to be different at Somerville High five years from now, when today’s middle schoolers are getting ready to graduate?

I’d like to think the high school they’re graduating from in five years is a much better high school in terms of its academic performance. I think there’s no secret as to where we are as a district with our scores. I hope that those are greatly elevated. I hope it’s a high school that has incorporated a lot of innovation and different ways to reach our students. I hope that we have made it a place where all students succeed. I hope also in five years that there’s some very serious planning and groundwork for a new high school. That’s sort of a long-term wish of mine. I’d like to be there for the groundbreaking of a new high school and maybe the completion. If I had a magic wand and a crystal ball, that would be terrific. That would be the capstone to what I think is the terrific work we’re doing in the district. With the initiatives we have going on, with the partnerships in the community, I hope that those continue to expand.

If you could choose one and only one thing to change at Somerville High in your first year as headmaster, what would it be? (If you had your magic wand…)

I would like to raise the student growth percentage for our MCAS scores. We’re going to start a campaign of awareness to students and faculty and families that we really need to get above the average. If we can get 55 on that, that’s a realistic goal and something we’re going to focus our energies on. It’s all tied in, it’s the by-product of improved teaching and learning.

There are probably some obvious challenges in secondary education today, like funding cuts and managing diversity, and keeping up with rapidly changing technology. But are there challenges that most people might not be aware of?

I think the level of the acute needs that some of our students have are not necessarily understood. We are who we are. We’re a large, diverse urban high school. 72 percent of our students are on free or reduced lunch. Inherent with that are kids who have issues and obstacles that challenge them on a daily basis. That’s something that doesn’t come through on test scores. We’ve got a lot of kids that have a lot of challenging needs that take a lot of resources and time, and their successes are measured individually, but it doesn’t necessarily translate into what the public sees. We’ve got a large immigrant population and we’re trying to acculturate them. Education is the great equalizer. In terms of the gap in society, that’s the one thing that we know closes gaps rapidly.

You have worked directly with these at-risk students in your role as Assistant Principal. In an environment of limited resources, how do you service their needs without impacting the broader student body?

I’m fortunate to work here in Somerville where we have preserved so many of those [programs] through other districts budget crises. The superintendent and the school committee have placed an emphasis on those, in fact instead of cutting back on them; we’ve expanded some of our services and resources. I think it also speaks volumes to the partnership the community has made with us. I think it speaks to the Mayor’s commitment to youth in the city. So we’ve partnered with some of the other city agencies that have provided some of those services. It’s been a community effort and I think that in this administration there’s been an emphasis on collaborative work with the city. I don’t think we’re viewed as a separate department out there that’s kind of on its own. They see a partnership that goes hand-in-glove. It’s in the city’s best interest to provide this, since it makes it a more attractive place to live. I have a lot of friends that live in suburban communities and I don’t think they have half the support that we do here in Somerville. We’ve been very fortunate. I think we’ve been managed well fiscally. We’ve been managed well strategically from an implementation standpoint and I think we’ve used our resources wisely and we use data to back it up and justify what we’re doing with some of these programs and I think it’s worked out well.

You’ve been here now for over a dozen years, so we can expect that you know the school, the community, the administration, the students and the culture here inside and out. That has a lot of obvious advantages, but having worked so long at the nerve center of the school, how do you bring a fresh, objective perspective to your new role as headmaster?

When you are the number two person I think you have a perspective at times that you can look back and say, “You know, I think I might do this differently.” Because I’m on the front line of things, I see, “this is more effective, if we can get some of these programs.” I think, coming in with that, listening to a lot of staff, taking that input and evaluating it, that’s kind of how I’m going to approach it. Tony Ciccarello, my predecessor has been terrific. He’s been a friend, a mentor, a confidant, and I think he’d be the first to admit, “some of these things didn’t work, this is what I would do differently if I were in your shoes. One of the benefits of being here is that we’re not afraid to admit what we would do differently if we could do it over, and sometimes having a new person there’s a window of opportunity to put things on a different path.

Most people look back at their high school years as either the very best of times or the very worst of times. Is that just the way it’s always going to be? Or are there things we can do to make it a positive experience for every student?

I want this to be this to be the best four years of their lives, only to be eclipsed by the next four years, wherever they go. We’ve got our shortcomings, no doubt, but I think kids are very comfortable here being who they are. We’ve put an emphasis on bullying and respect for others. We’re pretty good on those things. What we want to do to make it the best four years is to provide them with those outlets, those opportunities to leave their indelible mark here, whether it be athletically, through theater, through other extra-curricular activities, through music, through student government and service…Those are the things that we want to say, “you can look back and that’s part of your legacy. That’s the brick that you left here to build this place. And hopefully that’s what it will be, the best four years of their life. My pitch to them every year as freshmen is these can be the best four years of your life. We’re going to give you every opportunity, but you’ve got to come at least part way. This will be the best four years of your life if you want it to be. It can be the worst. I don’t think it’s the worst because there wasn’t an attempt to reach them, or because there weren’t services here. It may be not good because of other things going on in their lives, but I don’t think it was because we’re not reaching out to them and giving them the opportunities to succeed. I feel pretty good about that.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I’m excited, honored and humbled to be the next headmaster. It means a lot to be chosen among the internal candidates and the external candidates, and for it to be unanimous was affirming. I hope to live up to that and re-affirm that they made the right choice. I’ll do everything I can. I’m committed to it and working as hard as I can to make it the best school for all students.