A Homecoming

WHEN DR. LINDA Bovino-Romeo takes over as superintendent of Ho-Ho-Kus Public School this July, it will not only be the start of a new chapter for the longtime educator, but a homecoming.

Bovino-Romeo grew up in the borough and graduated from the very school she’s set to lead.

“It’s really a dream come true,” she says. “I get to work in a town that I grew up in, I get to work with an age group that I love and I get to work with teachers and staff members that are so dedicated. Amazing things are happening at Ho-Ho-Kus School, and I’m very fortunate and lucky to be coming home.”

Bovino-Romeo, currently the director of curriculum and instruction in the Mahwah Public School District, was appointed by the Ho-Ho-Kus Board of Education in February. She will take over for Dr. Diane Mardy, who will retire on June 30 after more than 40 years with the district, the last 10 as superintendent.

Board President Mary Ellen Nye says district leaders are excited to welcome Bovino-Romeo home to Ho-Ho-Kus to begin the next chapter of the school’s history together.

“Our goals in searching for our next superintendent were to ensure the continuation of the academic excellence and the thriving character-based community that have been the hallmarks of Dr. Mardy’s career in Ho-Ho-Kus and to set the district on an exciting path into the future,” Nye says. “We are confident that Dr. Bovino shares our goals and has the qualifications and the dedication to succeed in achieving them.”

SLOPES TO SCHOOLS

Bovino-Romeo says her love for teaching began on the slopes of Ski Windham (now Windham Mountain Club). She was 16 years old and a ski instructor for young kids. She found she truly enjoyed figuring out what would help each individual student succeed.

“I started to notice that I enjoyed teaching and seeing the outcome: seeing kids smile, be happy and laugh while acquiring this amazing skill of skiing,” Bovino-Romeo says. “That was the first moment I thought ‘I can actually do this amazing thing where I can teach someone something they don’t know, and they can walk away stronger and happier.’”

Bovino-Romeo had not even graduated from Northern Highlands Regional High School when it became apparent to her that not everyone learns in the same way, and it’s not OK to expect them to, she says. The realization sparked a passion for advocacy in Bovino-Romeo that remains a pillar of her education philosophy today.

“I had family members and friends that struggled in school, and I started to realize that we just need to approach teaching and learning differently,” she says. “It felt good advocating for students that learned differently—they have such wonderful abilities, but the way we approach teaching and what we expect has to be adjusted so they’re able to show us all they know.”

The joy she felt as a ski instructor combined with her passion for differentiation in education led her to choose to study education at Fordham University, where she acquired her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Science in education and Ph.D. in language, literacy and learning. She also holds a Master of Arts in administrative leadership from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Bovino-Romeo spent the first eight years of her career as a special education teacher for kindergarten through fifth graders in New Milford. It was there that she started participating in a program called Teacher in Charge, where she was exposed to scheduling, parent conversations and administrative meetings.

“That was my first glimpse into, ‘Hey, maybe I could help more than the students I have in front of me. I could help teach other teachers,’” Bovino-Romeo says. “That was ultimately the catalyst for me to begin applying for administrative positions.”

She was hired as assistant principal at Joyce Kilmer School in Mahwah, where she stayed for five years before moving on to become principal for another five years at Betsy Ross Elementary School in the township. Her most recent post in Mahwah is as director of curriculum and instruction.

“Working with teachers and getting to talk to them about instruction and then going into the classroom to work alongside them is the most exciting part of my job; that’s really where I come alive,” Bovino-Romeo says.

The administrator added that her work with teachers allows her to focus on the tenet she truly believes in: finding out how to educate and support each individual student based on their needs.

“Differentiation is a buzzword in education, but it really actually means something to me,” she says. “It’s not just that we say it differently, the whole approach has to be catered to who students are and what they need. I love sitting in this seat, utilizing all the data and information we have on students to make really good decisions for kids.”

A COLLABORATIVE LISTENER

Bovino-Romeo says it’s the small, closeknit community that made her feel Ho-Ho-Kus would be a good fit for her. She loves face-to-face time with students and teachers, and in a K-8 school district that’s housed in one building, she’ll be able continue to have that as superintendent.

“I tell new administrators, if you’re having a bad day, go to any kindergarten classroom, sit on the rug and read stories with the kids. You will be a happy person when you leave even if everything around you is going wrong. It will remind you why you’re there,” she says.

Bovino-Romeo says she’s looking forward to going into her new position as a collaborative listener.

“I have history in Ho-Ho-Kus, and I know what it was when I was there, but I don’t know Ho-Ho-Kus right now,” she says. “Before anyone comes in and makes decisions on anything, it’s important to understand who the teachers, staff, parents and students are. I’m going to be doing a lot of listening. Shared ownership is really important in furthering a district.”

Bovino-Romeo added that Mardy’s legacy is excellence.

“She’s leaving that behind and I just want to make sure I live up to that and we keep pushing that forward so Ho-Ho-Kus in five, 10, 15 years is where we always wanted it to be.”

Principal Marth Walsh says she looks forward to achieving new milestones alongside the new superintendent and continuing to foster a supportive environment for both students and staff.

“Dr. Bovino-Romeo’s leadership, vision and commitment to educational excellence will undoubtedly strengthen our school community,” Walsh says.

A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

Bovino-Romeo now lives in Wyckoff with her husband, Steven, and sons Parker, 11, Jameson, 8, and Anderson, 5. Still, she considers Ho-Ho-Kus home.

“This isn’t just any K-8, this is my home, this is where I’m from,” she says. “It’s a town that gave me and my family so much and to be able to come back and give to the current students, families and teachers—I’m just so grateful.”

Bovino-Romeo says growing up in quaint Ho-Ho-Kus, there was a sense of security and protection she felt walking around a school where everyone knew her. She didn’t have Dr. Mardy as a teacher (Mardy was a fourth-grade teacher at the time Bovino-Romeo went to the school), but Mardy still knew everything about her.

“It’s just this closeknit community that made you feel safe and like you could be who you are, no matter where you went,” she says.

Favorite memories from growing up in town and attending Ho-Ho-Kus School include the Country Fair (still a time-honored tradition), where she participated in the pie walk (think musical chairs, but with pie plates; whoever landed on the last plate got to take home a pie) and won her first goldfish.

She fondly remembers the open campus the school had at the time, and walking downtown for lunch, grabbing a slice at Garbo’s and enjoying it with friends in the gazebo.

The yearly musical and longtime music teacher Mrs. Murray hold a special place in Bovino-Romeo’s heart, and who could forget kindergarten teacher Mrs. DiLauro? Others that made an impression on her include former superintendent Dr. Woodbury and his wife, social studies teacher Mrs. Woodbury who Bovino-Romeo says taught her how to write an essay using notecards.

“It’s a beautiful community and town that wraps their arms around the people, and that’s what makes it so special,” she says.

BY SARAH NOLAN