John Palumbo, Franklin County Technical School’s new Student Services Director, said seeing firsthand the connection and sense of ownership of the students and staff toward the school convinced him that this was the place for him.
“During the interview process, I got to meet a lot of the students and staff,” John said. “The students looked happy and they feel like they belong here. They were proud of what they’re learning, proud of themselves and proud of the school. I really like that this is a vocational school and students are challenged academically and in their shops. The interview here really sold me. There were a lot of smiles from the students and staff that I met. And the staff I talked to were proud of the programs they offer.”
In his new position, John will be responsible for managing the Guidance and Special Education departments, as well as the admissions process. This summer he’s spending his time getting up to speed on his job and the school as a whole. John has some ideas to improve his department and looks forward to discussing them with his staff and working together to see what can be implemented.
While a student at Norwood High School, John worked at a camp for special needs kids, a job he liked very much. That experience, as well as working in group homes with children involved with the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families, piqued his interest in youth counseling.
“It took me a few years after college to figure out how to work in that field,” John said.
John grew up in Norwood, a community about 20 minutes south of Boston. At Norwood High School he played baseball and basketball, and ran indoor track. After high school, John attended North Adams State College (now Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts) for a year and graduated with a bachelor’s from Holy Cross in 1996. He earned his master’s degree in school counseling at Cambridge College in 2004.
During college and for a few years afterward, John worked as a house painter and landscaper.
In 2000, John was working in a grant-funded position as a research assistant at the Veteran’s Administration. When funding was cut, he was out of a job but was given a three-month severance package and decided he would do something enjoyable before finding another job.
“I applied to be a freshman baseball coach at Mansfield High School,” John said. “The first day of tryouts, I met the kids and the other coaches and realized without a doubt, I wanted to be in education. I immediately took the math teacher test and passed and started looking for teaching jobs.”
John’s first job in a school was back at Norwood High to teach alternative math, a job that he loved. He later became a counselor at an education collaborative in Fitchburg, and counselor and an athletic director at Murdock High in Winchendon.
John went onto become an adjustment counselor at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School, where he founded the TLC (Therapeutic Learning Center) program and was a school psychologist and assistant principal at Lunenburg High School.
"I love working with kids and helping them to overcome their challenges and become successful," he said.
Before becoming an administrator, John also devoted 20 years coaching baseball at various schools. As an assistant baseball coach, his 2016 Groton-Dunstable team won the state championship, going 23-0. Since his days as a math teacher and coach, students have felt comfortable approaching John to discuss any issues they were having.
John enjoys spending time with his wife of 20 years, Elizabeth, and their daughter Evelyn, 16, a student at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School, where she’s in the Health Occupations program.
“She loves it and I’ve seen first-hand what a vocational education can do to build a student’s self-esteem, confidence and work ethic,” John said.