Oceanside’s loss is Wantagh’s gain. We start this new, and different, incoming year welcoming a new principal to the district. Dr. Guzzone is a young and noteworthy new perspective that everyone is excited about having here. 

“He’s very welcoming back and is making a visible effort to get to know everyone,” says senior Allison Russo. 

Dr. Guzzone is a father of two. He played lacrosse in college and still loves to keep up with it. He also fishes and plays the violin. But his main hobby is hanging out with his kids, Joseph and Lucia. 

Prior to working at Wantagh High School, Dr. Guzzone has an impressive list of experiences. Assistant Principal/Director of School Counseling at Oceanside for four years, Coordinator of Secondary Special Education for two years before that, Special Education Teacher at South Side High School for four years before that, and the list goes on. Not only did he accumulate all of this work exposure at a young age, but he has acquired quite a good deal of honors, awards, and certifications. 

Just as importantly, Dr. Guzzone has made a significant effort to get to know the students. He is constantly in the hallways between periods and popping into classes to say hello. He has definitely made himself noticed and created a sense of comfort within all of the changes this year. “I see how extremely helpful Dr. Guzzone is with the new way of learning during this pandemic, always asking students and teachers if they are doing well with virtual learning,” says senior Madison Crandall. He has done a great job of keeping everything under control these first few weeks back and I can confidently say under his leadership, it will be a smooth year. 

Not only have students noticed his dedication but the teachers are grateful for it. Dr. Guzzone has made it a priority to help out in any way he can with the new systems and remote learning. Even though he is not directly in the classroom, he knows what it is like through past experience as a classroom teacher. “He’s been unbelievable so far. His knowledge of technology is excellent and he’s been so patient. He’s a new breath of fresh air. He’s stepped into a very difficult situation and I give him credit for how he’s been handling it,” says Spanish Teacher, Mr. Espinosa. 

With all the requests for schedule changes, cohort changes, and all the changes the students want to make, Dr. Guzzone managed it all very well. “When I was having trouble with my schedule, he tried his hardest to help me fix it. He was very nice and welcoming,” says senior Kelsea Hagan. Regardless of his job description, he has taken on many roles and continues to be a great help to all. 

Even though Dr. Guzzone has only been here for a few months, he knows the school like the back of his hand. With the six-foot stick made just for him, he personally went through the whole school to make sure everything was exactly how it should be. The transition into this position was incredibly busy and happened very quickly, especially with big shoes to fill from Mrs. Breivogel and Mr. Brown. 

After all of the setbacks from COVID-19, Dr. Guzzone still has the same goals and hopes for the year. He wants to acquire and build relationships with all of the students and the community. Everything is changing daily so the main goal is to take it day by day and get through it all smooth sailing. 

This is the first job that Dr. Guzzone has had where he hung up his diplomas on the wall of his office. That is a good sign for us that he is here to stay. We are all very happy to have him and excited to see what the future holds for Wantagh High School. 

“Although we miss Mrs. Breivogal and Mr. Brown, we are happy to introduce Dr. Guzzone to the high school to start our new era. We are happy to welcome him to the Wantagh Community and are looking forward to many years of collaboration,” say Mr. Colavita and Mr. Nyberg.