Editor's Note: At the end of the 2017-2018 academic year, five elementary schools in the Diocese bid farewell to the principals who are entering a new phase in their lives – retirement. Between now and mid-July, all five will be featured.

By EmmaLee Italia | Correspondent

As principal of Holy Cross School, Rumson, since 2012, William Belluzzi has developed a fondness for the school and its students that he will certainly miss in his retirement.

“I’ll miss my fist-bumps with the little ones in the car line in the morning,” he said. “I’m always outside to greet the kids, and I feel like they’re pretty happy to come to school and to see me. You get to know their parents, grandparents, nannies, babysitters, whoever is bringing them to school.”

Belluzzi’s love of education has been long and varied, spanning 45 years. It began in Bergen County at his alma mater, Bergen Catholic High School, where he taught Italian and Spanish for 10 years. He also coached tennis, worked as a guidance counselor and moderated the school newspaper and yearbook. He then spent seven years teaching Spanish in St. Joseph Regional High School, Montvale, while also teaching psychology courses at Dominican College, Blauvelt, N.Y.

His career took him into public education as a guidance counselor at Valley Middle School, Oakland, and then principal positions in Dogwood Hill Elementary, also in Oakland, and Tenafly Middle School, Tenafly, followed by superintendent of schools in the Montvale public school system.

After a move to the family’s house near the Jersey Shore, Belluzzi’s passion for Catholic schools pulled him toward the principal position in Holy Cross School in 2012, where he was able to share his faith on a day-to-day basis.

“I always think being able to share faith with the children is wonderful,” he said. “In public school, you find ways to share certain aspects, but you can’t do it fully.”

He described the prayer announcements at the beginning and end of the school day as one of the highlights of the Catholic school experience. “You see the eighth-graders come in [to lead the prayers] at the beginning of the year, and they’re nervous at first … then you watch them gain confidence as the year progresses.”

And for Belluzzi, it’s “always all about the kids,” he insisted. “I love kids, and trying to see what I can do to help them feel that they’re important is paramount to me.”

He acknowledges that sometimes children can be intimidated at the idea of visiting with the principal, particularly if it’s a disciplinary situation.

“My concept in leadership is … to try to help everything be a learning experience,” Belluzzi explained. “It’s important to try to get the kids, even when they’ve not done the right thing, to know they still have your support and that you will help them through it.”

Another highlight during Belluzzi’s tenure was Holy Cross School being recognized as a 2015 Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.

“It’s an outside validation that the teachers are teaching well, and the kids are learning what they are teaching,” he said.

Belluzzi is also proud of how the technology at Holy Cross School, while beginning with a good foundation, has been substantially increased in the past few years.

“Everybody has the use of a computer in every classroom, Smartboards were installed and we have a virtual reality lab for the upper grades … if we increase the availability of technology, [it can be] better integrated into the classrooms, and we can really use it as a good teaching tool.”

On a more personal note, Belluzzi is pleased with the optimistic atmosphere he helped cultivate at the school.

“Just establishing a really positive school climate, that’s one thing I really worked at,” he said. “It’s a place where people feel they belong. We always have a theme something to do with character, built on strong Catholic, Christian values.”

With Jody, his wife of nearly 44 years, and their two adult children, Brian and Lisa, Belluzzi hopes to have some time to travel. He still has teaching plans in his future, supervising student teachers at Georgian Court University, Lakewood, and is also interested in part-time teaching work commensurate with his background in languages.

The Monitor is highlighting the history and hard work of the Diocese’s retiring principals. William Belluzzi of Holy Cross School, Rumson, and Donald Costantino of Our Lady of Sorrows School, Hamilton, have been featured. Look for upcoming features on fellow retiring principals:

• Nina Hoover of St. Mary of the Lakes School, Medford

• William Robbins of St. Paul School, Burlington

• Michele Williams of St. Joseph School, Toms River