Mount Sinai’s New Super Stays Positive

On Monday night, the Mount Sinai school board appointed Enrico Crocetti as the new Superintendent of Schools. Crocetti takes on the position as of July 23 from outgoing Superintendent Anthony Bonasera.

Community members were able to meet their new Superintendent after a ceremonial signing of his contract in the High School auditorium that included a presentation of the U.S. Flag by the local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops.

While introducing Crocetti, school board president Robert Sweeney called him a "gentleman."

The Mount Sinai resident comes to the district from Central Islip School District where for the past six years he served as the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction. Previous to that he was at Middle Country School District as the Director of Technology and Career Education.

Crocetti, who is married with five children, says he started out his career as a special education teacher. When he saw the computer industry taking off in the late 1970s he went into business working for educational computing companies like Scantron, the company that makes the multiple choice test forms so familiar to most students. He returned to education after 10 years in business, saying that it lacked the “equity in creating young minds.”

As a former businessman, Crocetti sees a wealth of resources in the community and wants to tap into it to help the students. Ideas include bringing in local business owners to help kids develop life skills like interviewing techniques.

, Crocetti comes in to lead the district during a challenging time, yet he doesn’t see it as a failure.

“The budget actually succeeded because it represents the wishes of the community,” he said.

He’s keeping an optimistic outlook on things as schools, according to Crocetti, are being challenged both fiscally and politically. In fact, the reason why he wanted the top job was to help Mount Sinai School District through these difficult times.

“You get to a point where you can carry positive energy in a time of challenge,” he said.