Roy Reese has stuck with Goshen, from 'Pippin' to 'Poppins'

How did a third-generation carpenter from Lindenhurst, N.Y., become one of the most beloved administrators in the Hudson Valley? One student at a time.

Roy Reese says his career has been guided by his love of teaching. After graduating high school in Long Island, Reese went on to college but soon found that it wasn’t for him, at least not at that time. His father took him to the local union hall to apply for an apprenticeship, which began his building career. He still practices this craft, whether working with wood or with students.

Reese decided a few years later that he did want a college degree, and so pursued his studies at night after putting in full days as a union carpenter. His first teaching position was at West Babylon Junior High in 1964. Reese observes wryly that his very first students are now approaching their seventies.

While teaching, coaching football, and working with high school theater programs, he returned to school again for his administrative credentials.

Reese’s journey to Goshen was a matter of being in the right place at the right time. In the mid-80s, he was the principal of one of Long Island’s schools of excellence. He and several other principals went on a series of “road shows," traveling throughout the state making presentations to other school administrators on best practices in secondary education.

One administrator who caught the presentation was Richard Nealon, who was then Goshen's schools superintendent. After the seminar, Nealon handed Reese an application for the principal’s spot at Goshen High School that was recently vacated by long-time principal Dr. Robert Leslie.

"I didn’t know where Goshen was!" said Reese. "I had to get a New York State map to find it.”

Reese sent the completed application off in the mail and forgot about it. It was only a few days before the phone call came inviting him for an interview. The rest, as they say, is history.

Reese says coming to Goshen was one of the best decisions he ever made. Goshen’s teachers and students of the last three and a half decades couldn’t agree more.

Students gather signatures to honor Reese

The drive to rename the high school auditorium began at a stage crew meeting in March 2018, when students Michael Aglione and Caroline Swift discovered that such a designation is only possible when a building, or significant portion thereof, is new construction or substantially renovated, according to district policy. Knowing that there was a short window of opportunity to honor their beloved mentor, Michael and Caroline began circulating petitions, garnering over 549 signatures within three days and bringing them to Superintendent Dan Connor. He told them to come back in December, when the construction would be closer to completion.

Michael and Caroline say they learned a valuable lesson in persistence. In March 2019, as construction continued, the pair began attending school board meetings. They were again told to wait until construction was complete. Telling a high school senior (Michael) and junior (Caroline) “to wait” didn’t sit well, but the kids didn’t give up. They pleaded their case at four school board meetings, and got their approval in June.

In another lesson in "adulting," Caroline said she "learned that no one is too young to make a difference, and that even though this took two school years, you can’t quit til your mission is completed.”

The Unified Arts Department chair, Christopher Tucci, has been at Goshen High since 1988. He's seen how Reese has benefited the school district as principal, superintendent, and mentor to hundreds. Tucci called Reese a “Pied Piper."

"Whenever Roy begins talking, students, teachers, and parents gather round, and class is in session," he said.

Tucci said one of the traits that makes Reese so revered is that he never talks down to anyone.

"It doesn’t matter if it’s a 14-year-old freshman or an adult with a string of degrees, each inquiry gets the same respectful and insightful answer," he said.

Industrial arts/technology teacher Joe Fedor spent hundreds of hours with the auditorium project's engineers and architects. He said he's “thrilled that the facility is being renamed for Roy Reese. Since first coming to Goshen in the mid-80’s, no one has done more for the performing arts program at Goshen High School.”

Molly Lloyd, director of the annual spring musical, said, “Roy has amazed me since I first got involved in the musical in 1997. He has the unique ability to capture the attention of our students the moment he enters the room. Many students have chosen to continue in theater arts because of the interest sparked by Roy’s mentoring. I couldn’t be happier that Roy Reese is being honored in this way.”

According to Reese, at least 47 students and counting have chosen to pursue the performing arts on both sides of the stage since he came to Goshen. Even while serving as a school administrator in Beacon, Tri-Valley, Fallsburg, or, most recently, in Washingtonville, even during two battles in the last decade with leukemia, he has never skipped working on Goshen’s legendary spring musicals. In 2015, his students gave him a beautiful picture commemorating his first 30 years, from “Pippin to Poppins."

Is there anything Reese can’t do? Retire. He’s tried it too many times to count, and admits he’s just not good at it. He loves teaching, whether it's in a classroom, in a board room, or on a ladder hanging lights in the new theater that bears his name.

Reception and performance

Reese will be honored at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, during a special ribbon-cutting/unveiling of the renovated auditorium. A reception will follow in the cafeteria. At 7:30 the Goshen High School Drama Club will present "Peter and the Starcatcher," a prequel to "Peter Pan," which will be the first performance in the new theater space. The ribbon-cutting ceremony is free to attend. Tickets for the play will be available at the door.