Reis Prepares for Final Ride on Wayne Valley 'Pirate Ship'

Since the 1990s, Wayne Valley High School has not once been in a transition period with a new principal.

That is because the same committed, enthusiastic man has served the school for 17 years, bringing his own unique flare and ardor to the position. But this year, Principal Robert Reis is retiring.

“The truth is, I’ve done very little on my own here,” said Reis. “My accomplishments are Wayne Valley’s accomplishments. I’m basically the building manager serving a team operation.”

Indian For Life

Complimenting the “excellent” culture and climate of the school, Reis reflected on his tenure at Wayne Valley High School with pride and gratitude.

His years were marked with yearly meetings with every freshman that walked through the doors of the secondary school on Valley Road.

“I meet with all the freshman as they come in,” said Reis. “Five at a time in the morning is how it works.”

Also, praise was given to his staff, of which he said he could not have functioned without.

“I can’t stress enough what this staff is able to do,” he said. “They all bought into what we call the ‘pirate ship.’ ”

Though he won’t be leaving his position until Aug. 1, he remains engaged for what lies ahead in Wayne Valley’s future. For one, he remains eager to see how the new teacher evaluation system set up for the school will work.

“It’s very interesting,” he said. “It stresses accountability, and frankly, I think that’s great. It’s a pretty intricate process now; there’s a lot to do. But once the tweaks are felt out and it finds its comfort zone, it will be effective.”

Also, he believes that with an intact faculty, “Wayne Valley will do very well, because they just don’t know how to fail.”

In his time as a school administrator, he’s seen thousands of students pass through his hallways. But one aspect of education that he remains adamant about, is that children are still just children, no matter the year.

“Kids are always kids,” he said. “They were kids 41 years ago, and they’re basically the same today. They’re filled with wonder and high hopes. There will always be 17-year olds.”

“JD Salinger made Holden Caulfield 17 for a reason… he knew exactly what he was doing. Kids are just wonderful,” he continued.

Dealing with four different faculties over the years, he had high praise for each and every one. Reis also said that it was a blessing to work alongside the administrators he’s partnered with over the years.

The Memories

Trying hard to pinpoint just a few memorable moments that will carry on with him as he progresses toward the new chapter in his life, he touched on one major subject.

“The funny thing about memories is that they’re not always responding to something good that happened,” he said. “But the bomb threat a few years back that happened here, where the student put ‘smokers’ in the lockers, (was definitely memorable).”

Reis said he was amazed at how the staff reacted, successfully sending 1,700 people across the street, where no incidents occurred all day.

With bathroom facilities limited, and tensions soaring, the students were wonderful, Reis maintained. It was the day before exams began, but the scare was dealt with admirably.

“You have to sit back and say: the response shouldn’t of happened (as good), but it did,” he said. “This probably wouldn’t happen in many other schools.”

‘Remember. What? Everything.’

There is not just one staff member or event that Reis said he will miss most. That’s because, as he said, he will miss everything, and used a quote from a John Irving novel to express it…

“Just like in The World According to Garp: ‘Remember. What? Everything…’ I will no doubt miss everything. It’s going to hurt a little; I had way too many good times here,” he said.

He looks forward to doing a ‘ceremonial’ handoff of a rather large ring of keys to the new principal, Kenneth Palczewski, a former Wayne Hills Assistant Principal.

“Once he knows those keys… he’ll know the school,” Reis said with a laugh.

A Step Into the Past

Reis graduated St. Francis at Loretto, has three master’s degrees from William Paterson, and has “all certificates necessary for a principal with my experience.”

He’s taught at the County College of Morris as an adjunct professor in English, creative writing, writing the research paper, and ‘loved’ covering classes in his time at Wayne Valley.

He’s had an assortment of odd jobs, including at a coalmine in college, prison counseling, and being a part of the ministry, performing weddings.

“I just try to be myself and do what I feel is right,” he said on his exhaustive resume.

In his retirement, Reis, an avid motorcyclist, plans to ride the Four Corners with some of his friends, and undoubtedly get back into education in some form.

“I have too much experience to just sit down,” he said. “And I’m too young to just watch the sun set.”

He hopes to take the position of something along the lines of an educational coach, where he can utilize the skills he’s picked up over the course of his 41-year educational career.

Reis, a man with a “colorful past,” now looks to the future much like he did when he walked into Wayne Valley 17 years ago… with a keen belief in positivity that lies ahead.