James Maloney James Maloney, known amongst his peers as "the dean of high school principals," is retiring after 24 years of service to the Massapequa School District.

Involved in education for the past 40 years, Maloney did not originally plan to spend his life working with young people, having completed his undergraduate work in business and later receiving his MBA from NYU. He quickly realized, however, that being an accountant lacked the excitement of working with young people on a daily basis, something that he enjoyed very much working as a CYO baseball coach. He was greatly encouraged by his own high school principal, with whom he kept in close contact with throughout his college years, to ultimately pursue a career in education. He worked as a teacher in Brooklyn for eight years before receiving a teaching position in the Massapequa School District.

Maloney takes great pride in the accomplishments of the Massapequa School District and has been extremely honored to serve as the high school principal these past years, he said. He is particularly proud of Massapequa's high graduation rate of 99 percent and that 92 percent of the seniors go on to pursue a college degree. In addition to pure statistics, Maloney is very pleased with the very strong and diverse programs that have evolved throughout his tenure there, including the extremely accomplished fine arts department and the championship athletic program.

Susan Woodbury, assistant superintendent of the Massapequa Schools said that Jim Maloney has "truly stressed the importance of the development of the whole child," during his duration as principal.

James Grossane will replace Maloney as the principal of Massapequa High School. Maloney is confident that Grossane is a "highly qualified and experienced administrator" who "will lead Massapequa High School to even greater accomplishments under his leadership."

Having worked continuously since the age of 16, Maloney said he has "been working very hard for a very long time now." He is an avid reader of history and adventure novels and loves to golf in his spare time. In retirement, he is looking forward to devoting himself to these activities, as well as traveling, running and learning to fish.

Although he is looking forward to retirement, Maloney will very much miss working with the students at Massapequa High School, for he is "energized by their energy." He will also miss interacting with his colleagues on a daily basis.

Throughout his experience in education, Maloney has learned that "teachers will never be millionaires, but they are rich in other ways, for they have the unique opportunity to inspire greatness in the young generation, and as a result, they have a tremendous opportunity to change society.

According to Woodbury, Maloney has done just that for "since Jim Maloney came our way, Massapequa High School and the thousands of diplomas that bear his signature are better for his time with us. I thank him for his compassion, dedication and commitment to excellence in education".