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<strong>September</strong> <strong>2018</strong> <strong>Norfolk</strong> & <strong>Wrentham</strong> Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com Page 3<br />
SUPERINTENDENT<br />
continued from page 1<br />
been gracious and welcoming.<br />
“I think it’s no secret that King<br />
Philip has struggled as far as the<br />
budget, and the towns that support<br />
King Philip have struggled<br />
to support King Philip’s budget,”<br />
said Zinni. “That’s going to be the<br />
challenge, to make sure I understand<br />
things from all sides.”<br />
Support for public education,<br />
said Zinni, is easier when communities<br />
understand exactly what<br />
the schools are offering their students.<br />
King Philip’s accomplishments<br />
are not always recognized,<br />
he believes, citing figures that<br />
show Massachusetts schools outperforming<br />
schools in the rest of<br />
the country in math and science,<br />
and by some assessments, outperforming<br />
schools in the world. And<br />
King Philip’s scores, he notes, are<br />
outperforming state averages.<br />
“I don’t think we celebrate the<br />
successes of King Philip enough,”<br />
said Zinni. “At KP we have an incredibly<br />
talented group of individuals<br />
working with our students<br />
and providing them with a quality<br />
education. Couple that education<br />
with the activities, the sports, and<br />
the arts that are offered, and we<br />
have students who are walking<br />
out of here well-rounded, highlyeducated,<br />
and ready to face what’s<br />
next. So one of my priorities is to<br />
make sure that people are aware<br />
Paul Zinni, KP’s new superintendent<br />
of schools.<br />
of the great things happening<br />
in this school community. When<br />
people are making the decision of<br />
private vs. public school, I hope<br />
they’ll look closely enough to realize<br />
that in fact, with KP, they<br />
get a private school education for<br />
a public school price.”<br />
Zinni acknowledged the<br />
schools have to work harder to<br />
get that message to the parents of<br />
younger children.<br />
“We have three very strong<br />
educational programs at the elementary<br />
level. And I think sometimes<br />
people see us as almost in<br />
competition with each other,<br />
when in fact we are a continuum<br />
of educational services. A house<br />
is only as strong as the foundation<br />
it’s set upon. I see it as a partnership<br />
where the elementary schools<br />
begin the process of construction<br />
and then they turn the finish work<br />
over to KP so that we can make<br />
sure there is a leak-proof roof and<br />
strong walls. And so by the time<br />
students leave school, the result is<br />
a high-quality house.”<br />
Zinni intends to be a hands-on<br />
superintendent, and believes one<br />
of his strengths is his broad background,<br />
which includes years of<br />
working with the special education<br />
population in grades K-12. He has<br />
a strong understanding of student<br />
services for struggling and at-risk<br />
students, as well as curriculum and<br />
instruction for regular education.<br />
“I think that helps me with<br />
perspective. And as a superintendent,<br />
I believe I need to know<br />
what’s going on in the classrooms,<br />
so I visit throughout the year. I<br />
think that’s important.”<br />
Zinni serves on several U.S.<br />
educational boards, and is also<br />
on the board of directors for the<br />
Council for Exceptional Children,<br />
an organization with over<br />
27,000 members in 26 countries.<br />
“That allows me to get a global<br />
perspective,” he said.<br />
Zinni says he knew by middle<br />
school he would be a teacher<br />
someday. He attended Bridgewater<br />
State University (formerly<br />
Bridgewater State College) and<br />
majored in both elementary education<br />
and special education,<br />
with a minor in mathematics.<br />
He later returned to Bridgewater<br />
for advanced graduate studies in<br />
administration, and completed<br />
doctoral coursework (ABD) from<br />
<strong>Norfolk</strong> Challenge Golf Outing<br />
Throwing it Down for <strong>Norfolk</strong> Charities!<br />
The <strong>Norfolk</strong> Lions Club is<br />
sponsoring its 10 th annual charity<br />
<strong>Norfolk</strong> Challenge Golf Outing<br />
on Monday, October 15 at<br />
the Franklin Country Club. All<br />
proceeds from this event will be<br />
used to benefit <strong>Norfolk</strong> Lions<br />
charities. The classic New England<br />
golf course in Franklin offers<br />
a wonderful challenge over<br />
eighteen holes. A variety of tee<br />
placements on each hole offers<br />
a competitive golf course for all<br />
ages and abilities.<br />
Golfers of all skill levels with<br />
an aptitude for fun are invited to<br />
compete in a four-person scramble<br />
format. Only one team will<br />
win the battle to earn the bragging<br />
rights of Top Foursome and<br />
own the <strong>Norfolk</strong> Trophy for a<br />
year – everyone else will have a<br />
great time!<br />
Tee time is at 12:30 p.m. with<br />
a boxed lunch and a buffet following<br />
play at the club. The event<br />
also includes raffles and prizes<br />
for top foursome, top male and<br />
female teams, longest drive and<br />
closest to the pin.<br />
The fee of $160 per person includes<br />
18 holes of scramble format<br />
golf, a golf cart, boxed lunch,<br />
banquet dinner, and registration<br />
gift. Hole sponsorships of $100<br />
each are also available. Donors<br />
can be a recognized as a “Friend<br />
of Lions” for a $50 donation.<br />
Registration forms are available<br />
at www.norfolkmalions.<br />
org/golf. More information and<br />
directions to the Franklin Country<br />
Club can be found at www.<br />
franklincc.com.<br />
So hurry and make plans for<br />
your foursome now—the battle<br />
begins October 15!<br />
The Lions are a non-profit organization<br />
known for working to end<br />
preventable blindness. <strong>Norfolk</strong> Lions<br />
participate in a vast variety of projects<br />
important to the community and proceeds<br />
are donated back into local charities<br />
or to meet community needs.<br />
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NOVA Southeastern University.<br />
He also has a master’s from<br />
Lesley University in creative arts<br />
and learning.<br />
“I have a passion for the arts<br />
and those activities that help to<br />
create the whole person,” he said.<br />
“We sometimes hyper-focus on<br />
academics and athletics, but I<br />
think it’s important to celebrate<br />
the arts, too. As a teacher, I found<br />
it was a great way to help learning<br />
come alive for my students.”<br />
The job at King Philip piqued<br />
his interest because it was an opportunity<br />
to work in a regional<br />
system—a new challenge. The<br />
KP job also presented the chance<br />
to focus on the age group he enjoys<br />
working with the most, middle<br />
and high school students.<br />
Zinni, who calls himself a voracious<br />
reader, has been married<br />
30 years to his wife Catherine,<br />
an elementary school principal.<br />
They have two adult children, a<br />
daughter Alexandra and a son<br />
Nicholas, who is currently deployed<br />
in Kosovo with the Army<br />
National Guard.<br />
Hoping to get to know as many<br />
members of the KP community<br />
as possible, Superintendent Zinni<br />
was in the process of planning<br />
several “meet and greet” events<br />
at Local Town Pages deadline.<br />
He also encourages people to visit<br />
or call him.<br />
“I love to hear from the community,<br />
and people are always<br />
welcome at any time,” he said.<br />
Contact Zinni at 508-520-<br />
7991 x250 or by email at zinnip@<br />
kingphilip.org.<br />
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781-551-8733<br />
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