By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY – Mark Napoleon is a retired educator, but he’s not done with education.
Longtime Ocean City High School principal Matt Jamison retired after the 2020-21 school year. Napoleon, interviewed at Carey Stadium before the Red Raider football team’s home opener Aug. 27, said he is beginning his second career and has taken the job on an interim basis as the district searches for a permanent replacement.
Napoleon started in August along with interim Superintendent of Schools Thomas Baruffi, who was known locally for his stint with Linwood Public Schools. Baruffi took over for longtime superintendent Kathleen Taylor, who also retired at the end of last school year.
Napoleon has 32 years in education across three school districts, starting with 14 years as a social studies teacher. In addition to being a classroom teacher for nearly half his career, he has been a guidance counselor, director of guidance, vice principal, principal and superintendent.
He retired in 2020 from the Sterling Regional High School District, where he was the superintendent.
Napoleon may have retired, but he has more to do.
After a little break, he decided he wanted to do consulting as an interim principal or superintendent.
“I took some time off and can’t think of a better place to start my career after a career – my interim stint,” he said of Ocean City School District. “This is a well organized district, great kids, great administration, everybody knows that. Everybody is trying to get here.”
He accepted the position after being called at the beginning of summer. He lives in Washington Township.
“I love commuting in the morning and think it’s a great opportunity for a year,” he said.
Asked about his philosophy of education, he said he believes in excellence.
“We will strive to achieve excellence as it relates to the social, emotional and academic development of students,” Napoleon said.
He is more than happy that this is going to be back to in-person, full-time education.
“We’re not going back. Instruction, live, in school, is the only way,” he said. “Unfortunately, I wasn’t around for the most part last year, but the delivery of instruction was interrupted and we just can’t do that again.”
He said different districts had different takes on education with hybrid schedules and remote learning in the 2020-21 school year, but he is ready for the regular routine.
“We’re going back to our normal school day. We’re not messing with the schedule,” he said. Acknowledging parent concerns of having everyone at the school together for lunch, Napoleon said administrators have been “challenged” by the middle of the day, but they are going to make sure teachers emphasize spacing, keeping them 3 feet apart to make it less likely COVID-19 will be spread and students will have to quarantine. (Social distancing this school year requires all students and staff to wear masks inside school buildings and to maintain at least 3 feet of distance.)
Napoleon was looking forward to meeting the students. He had a chance to see many of their parents during an August presentation by Baruffi about the district’s plans to resume full-time in-person instruction last week.
He said he was impressed during the more than two-hour meeting at which the interim superintendent fielded a barrage of questions from parents.
“Dr. Baruffi did an excellent job. I’ve been in his presence a few times now and in public three times,” Napoleon said. “As I told the staff, he just knocked it through the roof. He hit a home run in that he did his job. He communicated what the school stand was and he discussed what we’re going to do.
“You’re not going to satisfy everyone, but I think people left that meeting better informed and we’ll continue with discussions.”
“We had significant administrative and staff that attended that night,” he added. “They may not have said anything, but I think it shows how Ocean City is strong and how we’ll get through this together.”
He noted parents had a say about their concerns and the district will continue to survey parents about the new school year.
“We’re not afraid to talk to the community. Communication is important,” Napoleon said.