Indian Hills Principal to Retire After 41 Years

After 41 years with the Ramapo Indian Hills school district, Al Evangelista has put in his request for retirement. Evangelista will finish this school year and will finish his duties on July 1 of this year.

Evangelista accomplished a lot during his time with the district. Here is just a sample of the accomplishments Evangelista has been a part of.

• Reinstituted the IH Marching Band after a 20-year absence.
• Establishment of a community garden on school grounds for our Horticulture classes.
• Implement the school-wide broadcast of morning announcements via TV monitors in the classrooms.
• Adoption of an official school flag and Alma Mater.
• Work with Municipal Alliances to provide quality drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs for our students.

“My decision to retire is easy: life is short, time is fleeting, and after 41 years of service to our district in various capacities, all of which have been an extremely rewarding experience, it is time to relax and spend more time with my family,” said Evangelista.

The Ramapo-Indian Hills high school district is already losing Superintendent Dr. C. Lauren Schoen on May 15. According to northjersey.com Schoen resigned from her position so she would be available to take the vacant superintendent position in the Mahwah K-12 district.

Evangelista, recipient of the 2012 Bergen County School Counselor’s Association Principal of the Year award, is leaving for personal reasons but does plan to remain a part of the community.

“I will, of course, stay involved in my community activities, and continue to use my skills and talents to make our society a better place to work and live,” said Evangelista. “The friendships and acquaintances that I have made during my time serving the RIH district and our three communities has truly been a pleasure. I will miss working with our excellent staff, motivated students, and supportive parents.  

Feel free to give Evangelista a shout-out or a goodbye in the comments section below.