Page 20 - JOHN DIPAULA POY APPLICATION 2021

January 6, 2020
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Tim DiPaula and I am John DiPaula's first cousin. John and I have been best friends since middle school and he is the Godfather to my children. I have always respected John's dedication to public education and to the students under his tutelage. However, until John was promoted to principal of Hammond High School, I never realized the level of commitment that was required to be successful or the level of stress that he deals with daily. Being a high school principal is absolutely a 24/7 job that requires an incredible level of dedication and sacrifice. As family and close friends, I see John regularly and he never seems to unplug. There have been multiple times on evenings and weekends where he has had to take calls from Howard County Police, 911 operators, staff and central office supervisors to deal with school alarms, student tragedies, and potential safety issues. Interestingly, I have never heard John complain as he always wants to be informed and to be available to shepherd his community
One of the things that I enjoy most is hearing John tell courageous stories of the amazing triumphs of his students. I love how John celebrates the successes of his students and how these successes seem to give him energy and focus. It sounds like there is nothing students can't overcome with caring teachers and staff in their lives. At the same time, it is important to understand that John takes the struggles of his community personally. When students are injured, disappointed, rejected or fail, he feels it. I'm sure that John is confident and well- spoken in front of others, but please know that John takes his responsibilities at school seriously and at times they weigh on him.
As a senior software engineer at a wealth management company, I enjoy the conversations that John and I regularly have about race, class, poverty and privilege and this has been the catalyst for me to look for ways that I can give back more to my community. I also wanted to say "thank you" to all of the educators for what you do. Your work matters. Thank you for considering John DiPaula for this prestigious recognition.
Sincerely, Tim DiPaula