When one looks at the 20-year career of Mark DeFazio as the assistant principal and then principal at Bridgeport High School, there are plenty of highlights. DeFazio would also be the first to tell you that there have been plenty of trying times as well.

 

“What I would say to a new administrator or any administrator is you’re going to face different issues from time to time and more times than not the only thing you’re going to hear back is criticism that you didn’t handle the issue right,” said DeFazio. “If you can’t deal with that very basic premise of the job and accept it then you’re in the wrong job.”

 

The 2017-18 school year at BHS has had issues. Whether it was massive flooding, a teacher strike, having to go from principal to coaching girls and boys basketball to facing legal issues against staff members, it would be safe to say DeFazio’s current year has been one a little more unique than most.

 

Many believe some of those issues played into DeFazio’s recent decision to retire after roughly four decades in the education system. Those 40 years include 12 years as the BHS principal and eight years as the assistant.

 

If you believe the situations that arose this year is the reason he’s stepping down, DeFazio said you would be wrong.

 

“It really wasn’t a big decision. There just comes a point in time where there needs to be change, and not just for Bridgeport High School,” said DeFazio. “It was time for me to make a change, too.

 

“Honestly, none of the things that happened this year ever came into play at any time in my decision. It really didn’t,” he continued. “I didn’t sit down and say ‘I better get out.’ Those are problems you deal with when you’re an administrator. You don’t know what you’re going to deal with and you better be able to accept it.”

 

While DeFazio says personal change was a reason for leaving, he can also tell you what that change will encompass. And it involves his family.

 

When you spend time in the education arena as a principal and prior to that spending many years as a coach and an athletic director, time is a precious commodity. On many occasions, DeFazio said, time came at the expense of his wife Alice and his children A.J. and Maria.

 

“If you had to pinpoint a reason it’s that I’ve been somewhat selfish when it comes to my kids and my wife. I’ve always put my job first and now it’s time to give back and be fair to them while I still have decent health,” he said.

 

With his wife Alice recently retired after an equally lengthy run as a teacher, they will both soon be free to do whatever they want. A good part of that, said DeFazio, is to spend time with daughter Maria in Charlotte and son A.J. in Memphis.

 

“A trip to Charlotte isn’t too bad, but you need a little more time to go back and forth to Memphis. Now, we’ll have time to see both for as long as we want,” said DeFazio.

 

DeFazio has been hinting at retiring for several years, often calling it a year-by-year decision. Part of the holdup was trying to make sure whoever came in next wouldn’t inherit major issues on the table.

 

“I think for the most part we’ve got the improvements taken care of, particularly the athletic facilities where the bulk of the upgrades through the years I’ve been here have come almost exclusively through the community from individual or business donors,” said DeFazio. “I also think we’ve done things at the school in recent years, from changes through the library … and the science lab and more that I feel good about.”

 

DeFazio said he knows he’s not leaving a perfect situation. However, he said his replacement (recommended for approval by the Board of Education at the June 5 meeting to be current assistant Matt DeMotto) won’t leave a perfect situation either. He said there’s always going to be something needing done.

 

“A lot of what you do depends on resources, but no matter who is in charge there will be things needing done. The priorities go from what’s the most critical need in the classroom, in the arts and athletics that can be addressed the quickest with the resources available. It will always be like that,” he said.

 

As for saying goodbye to staff and others he’s worked with over the years, DeFazio said that’s a bit harder to do. The reason, he said, Bridgeport has been successful has everything to do with the men and women leading the classrooms at BHS.

 

“I’m very thankful for the staff that I had, for the most part, because I’ve had the opportunity to work with exceptional teachers and staff and those are the people that made Bridgeport the high school what it is for the job that they’ve done. I’m glad to say I’ve made a lot of friends here as well,” said DeFazio. “I just hope I gave this staff the proper resources and support they needed.”

 

While not wanting to take credit for the success of Bridgeport High School during his time, DeFazio was candid about how he handled things. He pointed to always doing what he believed was “in the best interest of the students” no matter who agreed with him.

 

“I never went into this position thinking I wouldn’t make enemies because I knew I would and I have. That’s part of the position and it is okay people disagree with me,” he said. “One thing I feel good about is I always tried to be fair and evaluate situations before making a decision and in some people’s eyes it was the wrong decision and they believed it wasn’t fair. Again, that’s okay.

 

“I would have a little bit of a bitter taste if I knew I didn’t support my students 100 percent,” he continued. “I supported everything they did, which is one reason I’m leaving here feeling pretty good.”

 

When DeFazio began at Bridgeport, he worked under long-time Principal Lindy Bennett. Bennett was the principal who helped maintain and enhance Bridgeport’s position as one of the top high schools in academics and extracurricular activities in West Virginia. Taking over for him, DeFazio said, was a bit daunting.

 

“My biggest fear coming in was trying to maintain the academic standards that were already here. I’ve been around long enough to know I’m not the biggest difference maker because that falls back on the staff and teachers,” he said. “I was hoping to continue to provide the proper support and resources to continue that tradition.”

 

It’s safe to say it has happened. Bridgeport continually ranks high in polls and other measurable rankings handled by entities such as U.S. News and World Report and others.

 

“I do think we’ve done good things academically and that’s what it’s all about. Making sure we continued to be strong academically probably didn’t suit everyone extremely well because some may not have liked how I tried to do things and are tickled I’m leaving,” said DeFazio. “Again, it’s okay because my goal wasn’t to make people happy. My goal has always been to allow our students the opportunity to succeed.”

 

This past year, DeFazio got an opportunity to do something he never thought would happen again. Due to the teacher’s walkout, DeFazio – a long-time coach at Lincoln High School – was called back to work the bench for the boys and girls basketball teams.

 

“I’ve mentioned that you can’t prepare for what each day brings as an administrator, but not in my wildest dreams did I ever believe I would be coaching again,” said DeFazio. “I think that was more pressure with that than anything this year because I didn’t want to screw anything up for the kids or the coaches who put in all the hard work.”

 

DeFazio ended up doing fine. He didn’t lose a game, all in the postseason that he coached.

 

“It was all part of the job and it’s a job I’ve been able to do because my wife and kids allowed me to do it. My wife basically raised our kids through all my time as a coach and a principal and I’m so very thankful for that,” said DeFazio.

 

DeFazio said there’s something else he’s thankful for as he gets ready for his final day on the job June 30. And he said it can’t be understated.

 

“We’ve had good students, good parents and a good community. All three of those groups value education and those are three factors that will help you be successful,” said DeFazio. “We’re fortunate to have all three and I don’t see that changing. If you want to know why Bridgeport High School is successful, that’s where you need to look. I’m just glad to have been part of it.”

 

Editor's Note: Photos show BHS Mark DeFazio in his element of teaching, and also with his wife Alice. First and fifth photos, from last week's graduation, by www.benqueenphotography.com.