It’s 6 am. An alarm somewhere is ringing, awakening the backbone of one Fenwick High School’s most essential and famous staff member, Jim Sperandio. Mr. Sperandio is not just the guy at the front desk; he is the man who greets virtually every student by name, risks his life daily by standing in the parking garage, and discovers through the security cameras which student was hiding on the Lawless balcony stairs during gym class.

According to Mr. Sperandio, his first responsibility upon entering the doors of Fenwick High School is to determine what type of mood Mr. Ruffino is in. He then stands outside the main entrance and greets every single student by name. When asked how this is possible, Sperandio calls on his prior experience, “For me, it’s always been easy. As a cop, I was a detective for 19 of my 27 years. So, I had to know my victim’s names, the bad guys names, their nicknames, where they lived, who they hung around with, who their girlfriends were, their license plates, etc..” In addition, Mr. Sperandio believes it is important to be acquainted with the Fenwick student body, “If the students have taken the time to figure out who I am, I should take the time to show interest in everyone and learn their names too.”

After printing passes for the multiple students who didn’t quite make it to school by 8am, Mr. Sperandio sits down at his computer for what must be the most taxing part of his job: replying to emails written by trembling teenage drivers after scraping up against an unknown vehicle, reviewing the tapes, and reassuring them that it is all going to be OK. He says, “I understand many of you have only been driving for about 10 minutes, so I expect accidents to happen.” Overall, Mr. Sperandio simply wants everyone to be safe while driving, though he does admit to having a few laughs at some of our more timid student drivers. “My last major responsibility on a typical day is to guide all of the student drivers out of the parking garage- which is usually my second greatest form of entertainment of the day.”

Safety of the students, faculty, and staff is a top priority for Mr. Sperandio. “I’m in at 6:30 a.m. Working at Fenwick is not a typical eight hour day, 40-hour work week.” Mr. Sperandio acknowledges all of the faculty and staff who contribute to maintaining the safety and care of the school. “When I get in in the morning, there are at least eight other faculty and staff in the building- and I don’t mean for morning practice.”

What some may not know about Mr. Sperandio is that he’s a Fenwick Friar. Having graduated in 1985, he is well versed on the traditions and values of our school. This is one reason he has such a close connection to Fenwick, and why we are lucky to have him looking out for us!