By Laura Lane
Sills, 60, said the decision to retire was difficult for him. "I wanted to leave while I still love what I'm doing," he said. "I want to retire before I get burned out. And my wife retired last year, so we want to spend time together."
Before coming to Chatterton, Sills was an assistant principal at Merrick Avenue Middle School, where, he said, he heard much about Chatterton. "I heard Chatterton was like a warm family, and when I got here, I found that was true," he said. "Chatterton is like a well-oiled machine, and I don't take credit for that. It was like that when I came. People work well together at Chatterton."
What Sills can take credit for is the exemplary character-education program that he brought to Chatterton. He said that working at the middle school taught him just how important character education is. "In middle school, children become cliquish, not accepting of children different than them, and this isn't just in Merrick but everywhere," said Sills. "I felt as long as I had the background of working at a middle school, we at Chatterton had to hit it head on. I started character education several years ago, and by the time the state mandated it, we were already doing it."
Sills brought in outside speakers to fuel the character-education program. And he began the "Respect Award," which acknowledges children by announcing their names on the P.A. system. "It is for children who go out of their way for others. For instance, if a kid went out of their way to share a snack with another kid who forgot theirs, that would be going above and beyond," said Sills. "In the beginning, it was an artificial change in the school, with everyone wanting to hear their name on the loudspeaker, but then the kids started to think it was cool. Now even children in the upper grades participate."
There are many memories that Sills will take with him into retirement. One of his fondest is of reaching out to a child who could have slipped through the cracks. "There was a boy who had emotional problems, and it spilled over into school. He was disruptive in his class," Sills recalled. "He and I spent a great deal of time together and bonded. Now he's a part of things, and you'd never pick him out if you saw him in a classroom. It was a lot of hard work, but definitely worth it."
Sills said he'll miss all the children at Chatterton. "I'll miss the joy I get when kids figure out things themselves, and the hugs and smiles," he said. "I've taught and worked in all different districts, and children do well there, but here there's that joy to learn more and more, because kids want to learn at Chatterton. I give credit to the parents for that, and I value the parents."
Retirement will also give Sills many free evenings. An active principal, he has come to every play, art show and concert. So retirement will be more restful, but there will always be something missing. "I felt so much pride in the Chatterton children's accomplishments," he said. "I always feel like these kids are my own. Chatterton really is a beautiful thing."
Comments about this story? LLane@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
