Norwayne principal resigns
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on December 11, 2015 1:46 PM
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Mario Re
Norwayne Middle School Principal Mario Re said Thursday that he was not forced to resign from his post, citing personal reasons for his departure.
Wayne County Public Schools announced late Wednesday that he had resigned, effectively immediately, but would not provide details, calling it a personnel matter.
"Mr. Re submitted his resignation earlier today (Wednesday) and shared the announcement with the school's staff this afternoon," Superintendent Dr. Michael Dunsmore said. "The school's assistant principal, Makita Jenkins, will temporarily serve as interim principal and additional support will be provided from the district's administrative offices until a replacement can be named."
Re has been principal at the school since 2005. He was hired in 2003 as an assistant principal at Norwayne.
To quell any rumors that he was fired or forced out, Re told the News-Argus it was in the best interest for himself and his children to resign. He said he had met with his staff to make the announcement, at his own request.
"I have been with my staff for 12 years, 85 percent of my staff has been hired by me," he said. "It was my idea to resign. My staff was very supportive. They were very upset.
"(I told my staff) I never once let anything personal interfere with my job performance at Norwayne. I gave 110 percent to the students, the parents and the staff, every single day for 12 years."
The self-described hands-on administrator said it was "very tough" leaving Norwayne.
"I was on top of everything at that school. The structure, the routine, the discipline that we had at that school was tremendous," he said. "We've had the highest growth on test scores for the last six years.
"The hardest part about me leaving is going to be the relationships I made with the teachers and the parents. The parents have been very supportive of me and the school the entire time."
Choosing his words carefully, Re said he wanted to express appreciation to the former superintendent, Taylor, who had hired him.
"There's been a lot of changes with this new administration and I am part of that change," he said.
The father of two -- one now in high school, the other still at Norwayne -- said he will still be visible at the school, attending different events to support Norwayne and his daughter.
The New Jersey native came to North Carolina to attend East Carolina University. His career in education began in Lenoir County, where he worked four years at Frink Middle School in LaGrange before becoming a Principal Fellow for two years.
His immediate plans are uncertain, he said.
"I want to do something new. It may be in education, it may not be," he said. "I want to take these next couple months to see if I want to go back into the education field or if I want to try something different."
School officials said the district will utilize its new principal hiring and selection process to secure a replacement at the school.