(This interview has been editited for clarity and length.)
Being a principal of the high school can be daunting, especially when the principal that came before you was well loved. But it was obvious that people thought Mr. Pafk was the right fit for Orchard Park High School because the board voted unanimously to hire him for the position. Coming to a new building has its ups and downs, but Mr. Pafk wants the best for the building, and it clearly shows. I sat down with Mr. Pafk on Friday October 20th in his office during study hall.
Have you always worked with kids? What drew you to wanting to work with them?
MP: It started I think in highschool, and I was trying to make some money. And where I grew up there wasn’t… a lot of opportunities, so I worked on a farm, if that kind of tells you the place I grew up. But then I started doing private saxophone lessons for elementary school kids, and that was super cool, and I was really into music. And then as I went through high school, I kept doing that. When I was in college, I ended up working at the Chautauqua Institution, the Boys and Girls Club there, as a music counselor, so kind of like school kids would be with their camp counselor and then go to music class…I was between music performance and music education, and I realized that this is super fun that someone would pay me to hang out and have a good time with kids and teach them music. So that kind of forged that path.
What did you do before you came to work in the Orchard Park School District?
MP: I was at the Charter School for Applied Technologies for 17 years, in the city of Buffalo, and that was back in 2001. I was hired as a general music teacher. I didn’t want to do general music at all. Of course, my first class was a kindergarten class. All through college I worked with high school aged kids and my student teaching was in a high school. So I had these little 5 year olds show up, and I was like “Ooh my god, what do I do with them?” I didn’t realize that the minute you let one kindergartener blow their nose, every kindergartener has to blow their nose. It could have been a movie, a comedy, it didn’t go well. I wrote a bunch of grants to start a band program, and then got the band program off of the ground. In fact, I used to bring my marching band here, to the Cavalcade of Bands, back in like 2004. I was there for 17 years and then went to the middle school, and then followed all of you cool cats to the high school.
What made you want to change from teaching to administration?
MP: So I had originally thought that I was going to stay at the charter school forever. I really felt at the time that there was some decisions being made that really wasn’t in the best interest of the kids. It started to turn into a situation where they were so concerned about test scores and certain rates that we forgot that kids are human beings. We need to view the kids as people and not just numbers. I felt that I could have a bigger impact on those decisions if I could be a principal there. I got a scholarship from the Oishei Foundation for a teacher leader. I went to Canisius and took a few classes and realized, “Ok, I think this can be a vehicle that I can make changes I am hoping for.”
What was your reaction to finding out that you got the building principal position here?
MP: I was super excited. I was very humbled because Orchard Park is a premier School District, not just in Erie County, but in New York State. Our school’s name is really broadcast everywhere in New York. I have friends who teach in Rochester, and they are like, “Oh my goodness, Orchard Park is amazing.” So I was really humbled. There were moments where I was like “What were they thinking? Why are they picking me?” But I also was really excited to take on and join the ranks of what Mr. Wolf has created, and before Mr. Wolf, Mr. Farwell, before Mr. Farwell, Mr. Abel, because I do think there is a long history of pride of being the leader of this school. And that is definitely something I have in my heart and my head, and I look to carry that on for another decade or so.
What is one major difference between the challenges at the high school and the middle school?
MP: It’s all the curricular activities. In middle school you have some electives, you have some choices. But I think here at the high school, to the credit of the students and teachers, there are so many different opportunities. And just to make sure that we are keeping all of that in mind to make sure everyone’s graduation requirements are met, the different opportunities for requirements, the different articulated agreements, whether that be with AP’s, colleges…I think our counselors do a remarkable job of figuring that all out and finding ways to keep track of that, but it is always staying on the forefront and making sure you guys have opportunities…And just looking out for what is in the best interest of you guys and can set you guys up best.
What does a typical day look like for you?
MP: So a typical day I come in, and I get a chance to talk with Mrs. Basile [Main Office Secretary], who is just a wealth of knowledge, and who really runs the place. Then I head out into the foyer and say good morning to you guys and check in with some kids and see how they are doing. I think that everyone comes to work with different things going on in their world and that’s teachers too. I have teachers who I keep a closer eye on because I know they have a parent who is ill or they have kids who are struggling. I am a firm believer that if we can’t take care of our own personal kids, then we can’t take care of you guys. And I won’t have all of the answers, but I think it is important because this is the first place you are walking into, whether you are coming to work or coming to school. After that some days it’s filled with District-level meetings where we are talking about big picture stuff in the school system. Today was a lot of observations, so doing teacher observations and having the meetings before those observations and after to say how do you think it went? What are things we want to improve upon? Then after that it, is just trying to be present, trying to be visible. I’m a firm believer that you shouldn’t have to come down to the main office to find me or ask me a question, hopefully I’m out and about. Then I try to watch you in your passion areas, whether it be sports, clubs, arts, and sometimes there are evening events.
Is there anything that happens day to day that you never expected?
MP: Well, this is my 13th year as an administrator. I think that the only things that really catch me off guard are the surprise emergency safety things. I think everything I have unfortunately had to experience. But the things that really throw me for a loop are when we have a surprise situation, like we didn’t expect that to happen.
There have been a lot of changes and new faces here. How has the faculty and staff been about these changes?
MP: Good, I think communication solves a lot of the concerns. I was board appointed in May of last year. I tried really hard to be here as much as possible, while still making sure I was there for the kids at the middle school as they were finishing up. I didn’t want anyone to go into the summer saying, “Oh my god, who is this wackadoodle coming in. We don’t know him.” Just to at least have some kind of conversation…Then the new hires, we have monthly meetings where it is just a sit down with all three house principals, myself, and all the new teachers, asking, “Hey how are things?”…I think it’s going well, and everyone I have spoken to has been like, “Wow, I was super worried because there are a lot of changes, but it seems to be going alright.” That was the hope, and that was by design.
Are there any changes that you would like to make that would kind of put your own stamp on the high school?
MP: Absolutely, I have several things in mind. Again, just from my experiences. It is nothing that I am looking to rush into because I first have to learn how this school operates. Every organization has a culture, has a heartbeat, and way that they do things. I have a journal that I keep daily that I write down some thoughts and how things went. There are certain things that we want to make changes to. I also think it is important that students know that they have a huge voice in this.
What piece of advice do you wish you had while you were in high school?
MP: Don’t take the little moments for granted. I was super fortunate in high school to be involved in a lot of stuff. I kind of just assumed it would always be there, and it’s super fun to be in a high school setting again because there’s little flashes of memories of Junior Brandon or a Senior Brandon, and it’s like, “Oh man, if I had only known how cool that moment was.” Even for me now there are some memories that I have that I’ll never forget, and it happened in highschool.
When you retire, what do you want kids to remember about you?
MP: That I loved every second I was with them, like every single moment. My best days at work are the days when I can say I talked to this kid…and I got to hang out with this group. And if we are as kind as we possibly can be to everybody, we are going to be pretty successful and have a pretty good go at it. [I want them to say,]I think [Mr. Pafk] was someone who wanted to be around us, and he wanted us to work hard, but he also wanted us to play hard. I think that would be the legacy I leave.
Anything else you would like to add?
MP: I am just having a super fun time being here. It’s amazing. I thank all of you guys for allowing me to be a part of your crew again, and I am going to work as hard as I can for all of you.
Mr. Pafk has already made an impression on the high school building. He wants what is best for not only the building, but the students as well. He truly cares about being visible and allowing the students to have a conversation with him easily. He is going to make a great principal, and is going to help the building tremendously.
