Yorktown Schools Superintendent, Athletic Director to Retire
Two longtime administrators in the Yorktown School District announced this week they would be retiring this summer.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ralph Napolitano, who has led the district for the last 11 years, was celebrated by more than 100 staff and faculty at a March 6 Board of Education meeting where a bittersweet board formally accepted his pending retirement.
“We will be forever grateful to Dr. Napolitano for all he has done for our Yorktown community,” said Board of Education President Jackie Carbone. “He is a person of tremendous integrity and honesty, he has strengthened and enhanced our educational programs, with a focus towards developing students who will be caring, compassionate, contributing world citizens. We are all truly better people for having had him as our leader for the past 11 years.”
Under Napolitano’s tenure, Yorktown was named a State School District of Character in 2015 and a National School District of Character in 2016, one of only four districts in the nation to receive that designation. In April, Napolitano will receive a School District Leadership Award in Character Education at the Champion of Character Banquet.
“It is difficult to leave such a welcoming place as the Yorktown School District where I have come to know, love, respect and appreciate so many people,” Napolitano said. “While I am not sure what will come next in this unchartered stage of life, I know I will always look upon Yorktown as my second home.”
Meanwhile, on Thursday the district announced Athletic Director Fio Nardone, who has served in his position for 16 years, will also be leaving at the end of the school year.
Nardone, a longtime member of the Section One Baseball Umpires Association and former president of the Westchester County Basketball Association, oversaw the construction of the new turf and softball fields and remodeling of the fitness centers at the high school and middle school. He also played an integral role in the renovation of the indoor swimming pool and locker rooms.
“He has immense dedication and commitment to our athletic program, our students, coaches and to the district,” Napolitano said of Nardone. “It is he who sets the examples of perseverance and commitment that are followed by our coaches and student athletes, many of whom are scholar athletes. He will be missed, there is no doubt, and his influence will have a lasting effect in our district and on our program.”
Earlier this year, Nardone was given the Don DeMatteo Service Award by the Section One Football Coaches Association. In 2015, he was named the Section One Athletic Director of the Year by the New York State Athletic Administrators Association.
“I have been fortunate to have been in Yorktown with its focus on the whole child, which includes a strong emphasis on sports, athletics, physical fitness, wellness and teamwork,” Nardone said. “Sports is really about the students and how sports can enhance their educational experience. It has been my privilege to work with such a talented administrative team, coaching staff and such talented student athletes.”
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