NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH — Superintendent John Antonucci is pleased to report that longtime North Attleborough High School music teacher and band director Thomas Rizzo has been appointed as the new Assistant Principal of NAHS.
He will assume the role effective July 1.
Assistant Principal Rizzo has served as Director of Instrumental Music for grades 9-12 since 2006. During this time he has also held positions of Music Director/K-12 coordinator, district Curriculum Review Leader, NAHS rubrics committee member, NAHS scheduling task force member, and NAHS School Council member. Since 2017 he has also been the Fine Arts Curriculum Instructional Leader.
His various roles have given him experience with capital improvement projects, curriculum/program development, supervising out-of-state/overnight trip management and organization for the school’s award-winning instrumental music program and more. He was the recipient of the 2007 Walmart Teacher of the Year Award, and is the namesake of the “Thomas P. Rizzo Music Education Scholarship” founded by community parents in 2012.
Assistant Principal Rizzo served as Interim Assistant Principal at NAHS from December 2016 to June 2017, where he was responsible for student discipline, student support, teacher evaluations, student “at risk” meetings, summer school coordination, planning and execution of graduation and more.
“Assistant Principal Rizzo has more than 16 years of passionate and enthusiastic experience, and we are excited for him to bring his proven track record of supporting students and building relationships with the community to his new role,” Superintendent Antonucci said. “He understands the importance of collaboration and leading by example, which are critical skills for any administrator. On behalf of the entire North Attleborough Public School community, we congratulate Assistant Principal Rizzo on this recent promotion.”
In addition to his roles as a teacher and band director, Assistant Principal Rizzo is a North Attleborough native and resident who served as a Representative Town Meeting member for several years. He has been an Executive Board Officer for the Triboro Youth Theater, Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association (MICCA), and Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA).
“We are confident that Assistant Principal Rizzo is an ideal choice to fill the Assistant Principal role at North Attleborough High School. For years he has served our school as a leader and as an influential voice for ongoing excellence and improvement,” North Attleborough High School Principal Peter Haviland said. “In addition to his role as music teacher and band director, he has also been a constant source of leadership while serving our school as a Curriculum and Instructional Leader. It has been in his highly effective work as an instructional leader that he refined his natural leadership skills, which successfully put him in position to be ready to fill the role of Assistant Principal at NAHS. We are excited for him to join our leadership team and look forward to the continued positive impact that he will have on students, staff, and families of North Attleborough High School.”
Assistant Principal Rizzo holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from the University of New Hampshire, and a Master of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Bridgewater State University.
“Leaving the classroom and the responsibilities as band director after 16 years is certainly bittersweet but I am excited to work with our students, our staff, and our community in a different capacity and am eager to use the experiences gained over my teaching career to work with our leadership team at NAHS,” Assistant Principal Rizzo said. “As a resident and product of the North Attleborough School system, it brings me great pride to give back to this place which has given me so much. I am grateful for the opportunity and the trust of the administration and staff to continue our efforts of making NAHS a great place for students to learn and grow.”
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