Choose to be Great: Cheers (Y2:E34)

~ Angelo DelliSanti

As I write this morning, many of you are closing out another school year. Some of you are already on a well-deserved break, with Memorial Day marking the start of your time off. Others, like many of my close friends, have just celebrated the joy of graduation, sending another group of students off into their futures. A few more workdays with teachers will fly by this week, and the quiet of summer will arrive. Yet, some of you still have a few weeks left with students. If you’re in that group and wishing you were done, I challenge you to embrace these final weeks. You have a little more time with your students: What can you do with it? How can you help them grow? How can you finish the year strong, knowing you’ve given it your all?

Looking beyond the end of the school year, you’re all facing new futures when you return this fall. Some of you will come back for the first time after a summer break, having proven to yourselves that you have what it takes to be educators. Many will return to continue impacting students and improving your community. Some of you will be stepping away from education, while others will be embarking on a well-deserved retirement after a lifetime of service to students.

Regardless of where you are in your career or this school year, I salute you and celebrate your accomplishments. I hope you are as proud of yourself as the many people in your life are of you. Take some time to celebrate yourself and all you’ve achieved with your staff and students.

As I close this message and another year of “Choose to be Great,” know that I’m looking forward to seeing many of you this summer. I’m here for you even if you’re not receiving a Monday morning email from me. If you have any thoughts or ideas on how I can improve for next year, I’d love to hear them. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with feedback. I want to grow, and I need your help to do it.

Until we connect again: Cheers, and keep choosing greatness!

#ChooseToBeGreat

Angelo

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Published by Angelo DelliSanti

“Education? You don’t want to do that with your life. You’ve got other plans.” That’s what Angelo DelliSanti’s high school counselor told him his senior year. And she was right—at first. Angelo had spent three years preparing to become a U.S. Navy officer. But an internship with a math teacher during his senior year changed everything. Helping struggling students master algebra sparked a passion for education that would shape his career. Over the next 15 years, Angelo served as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal, returning to his alma mater to teach World History and later advancing to leadership roles. As a principal, Angelo implemented the Capturing Kids’ Hearts process, leading to remarkable academic gains, increased scholarships, record-breaking graduation rates, and improved school culture. These achievements earned him recognition as the Rowan-Salisbury Schools Principal of the Year in 2018. In 2022, Angelo joined Capturing Kids’ Hearts as a Leadership Solutions Strategist where he is dedicated to working together with school leaders to create remarkable schools. He holds a Bachelor’s in History and Secondary Education from UNC Charlotte, where he was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow. He also completed a Master’s in School Administration and completed all the required coursework for a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from his alma mater, earning the Outstanding Student Philip Morris Educational Fellowship in 2017. Angelo lives in North Carolina with his wife, Kasey, whom he married in 2008. Together, they enjoy escapes to the mountains and beaches. Angelo’s passions include golf, non-fiction books, cooking, and sharing meals filled with laughter and connection around the table.

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