Getting this honor made Dr. Ruffolo feel special, but he didn’t take all the honor for himself. As he has said on multiple occasions, he couldn’t have done it without the help of his own mentor, his interns, the vice principals, principal, fellow teachers and the rest of the faculty and support staff. “The reality is I learn from them too! Every step of the way with their help makes me better.”
CHS 2015 TEACHER OF THE YEAR: DR. LOU RUFFOLO
BY KACIE BOEGLIN
“They sat us down at a meeting and on the screen pieces of a picture popped up. People were saying names and guessing who they thought it was, then the picture was complete and I saw myself. I was shocked and honored!” Dr. Lou Ruffolo, our school psychologist, may have been surprised to be named teacher of the year for 2015, but his award didn’t come as a surprise to the people who know him.
Coventry High School isn’t the only place that that has recognized him for his brilliance. At URI, he was sought after to mentor students and to take them on as interns. At CHS, he is seen as a fabulous and stellar representative of the field of psychology. Such praise comes from his previous intern, Ms. Marraccini, and Ms. Gudmundsdottir, the psychology intern this year. Ms. Gudmundsdottir added, “Dr. Ruffolo is very deserving of this award with the way he helps us learn and [how he helps] the kids.”
Dr. Ruffolo has worked at CHS for the past three years. During his time here, he has been able to make a difference in the lives of many kids. He likes to say that he does a lot of work “behind the scenes.” Additionally, Dr. Ruffolo is a man who always follows policy. Some kids call him the Hall Cop because he enforces the pass and headphone rules. He always stays fair with a three strike norm.
Dr. Ruffolo, along with his mentor Mr. Sarubbi, started GYMNTR, a place where students have access to a safe place. Dr. Ruffolo also co runs the Interact Act club with Mrs. Leavitt. At every meeting, he always makes sure that there is respect and order so that there is never a negative attitude. Mrs. Leavitt and Mr. Sarubbi can both vouch that Dr. Ruffolo is a big reason why this school has a lot of positivity and respect.
Getting this honor made Dr. Ruffolo feel special, but he didn’t take all the honor for himself. As he has said on multiple occasions, he couldn’t have done it without the help of his own mentor, his interns, the vice principals, principal, fellow teachers and the rest of the faculty and support staff. “The reality is I learn from them too! Every step of the way with their help makes me better.”
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