Page 19 - JOHN DIPAULA POY APPLICATION 2021

To whom this may concern,
In the nearly three years, I have been blessed with being a student under the administration of Dr.
DiPaula, I have been granted an experience unlike any other. I have received a sense of importance and, most prominently, immense support.
High School is a tough place where students like me enter as children and step out as young adults. I can wholeheartedly say my principal, Dr. John Dipaula, goes above and beyond for the students at Hammond High School.
I am a first-generation student in America, which made the college application process quite tricky. I reached out to Dr. DiPaula for a recommendation for my dream school. Asking for the letter was the easiest part of my application process. He made himself accessible to me. I told him about my life, this is not reasonably easy for me to do, but I knew I could trust him. He did not hesitate to help me. When I received my rejection, he was there to give me the wise words of encouragement I needed to hear. The ones I would otherwise not have heard. I did not feel defeated for long. I felt empowered.
I have also seen all he does for my school. He brings our school motto to life. We are a school where people are important. This is no doubt the reality of what it is like to be a student at Hammond. He is in the audience of every and any school event: games, inductions, class, and everything in between. His presence would make anyone feel important, but he does more than that. He gives speeches to congratulate his students at inductions, and you can see his enthusiasm at games.
Dr. John DiPaula has truly dedicated his life to bettering the futures of students. I do not merely restrict his efforts to Hammond High school because I know if he could help every student in the world, he would, and he would not think twice, not even for a second.
I have an inside joke that I feel captures his dedication to education. I say to him; I would not be surprised if there is a sleeping bag in his office. I say this because his days never end. He is always doing more and going out of his way to make our school a second home for us. His significant presence is one