Everything Mr. Crisafulli does, he does for the children.
By James VanBever
Research Volunteer, Westford Museum
When John Crisafulli was appointed Westford’s school superintendent in 1985. School Committee member Judy Culver stated that everything Mr. Crisafulli does, “ he does for the children.” An editorial in the Westford Eagle wrote of his appointment that “no search could have found a person better qualified to Westford’s top educational slot than John Crisafulli.”
John Crisafulli was a native of Belmont, Massachusetts and as a student at Belmont High School was a superb athlete. John was captain of the football and indoor/outdoor track teams. On one freezing day he scored twenty of the football team’s twenty-six points against rival Stoneham High School. For his athletic achievements, he was awarded a football scholarship to Boston University where he played football for three years.
In addition to playing football for the Terriers, Crisafulli was also a good student. He received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in school administration. Mr. Crisafulli would later receive a doctorate degree with a specialty in leadership from Nova University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
One of Mr. Crisafulli’s hobbies and interests was the study of bats. In 1976, at a Rotary Club meeting in Westford, he gave a lecture on the study he had made on these nocturnal creatures. John knew a great deal about the habits of these animals and had sixteen bats as pets.
Dr. Crisafulli began his career in education in 1963 as an elementary school teacher in Wilmington, Massachusetts, and was later promoted to teaching principal. Later, he would become a supervising principal at a larger elementary school in that town. Prior to moving to Westford, Crisafulli had been promoted to Wilmington’s acting superintendent.
The former Belmont resident was hired as Westford’s assistant superintendent in 1973. In his first few years in town John stated that he “wore many hats. I oversaw operations and programs. I handled preventive maintenance of buildings and assisted in energy conservation.”
During his time as assistant superintendent Mr. Crisafulli directed and established a curriculum task force to evaluate Westford’s existing curriculum in math, languages, arts, health, physical education, and music. The task force consisted of a cross section of individuals from the town’s school system to assist the assistant superintendent in providing a vehicle for evaluating and improving the curriculum for grades k-12.
Also, in Crisafulli’s first year as assistant superintendent he was involved in the planning and supervising the daunting task of the opening of the new Westford Academy on Patten Road. It also involved the job of transferring middle school students to the former Westford Academy (Now the Abbot School) on Depot Street.
In addition to Dr. Crisafulli’s duties as Westford’s assistant superintendent, he was also involved in other activities such as president of the Board of Directors of the Municipal Federation of Employees Credit Union for employees of the towns of Wilmington and Westford. John was also a member and past president of the Westford Rotary Club and director of the Westford Museum and president of the Museum’s Board of Directors.
In January 1985, to be effective July 1, 1985, the Westford School Committee in a 5-2 vote award 3-year contract to Mr. Crisafulli to become superintendent of schools. The decision to appoint Mr. Crisafulli school superintendent was an easy one for the Westford School Committee. The Westford Eagle summed up Crisafulli’s appointment by stating that “by merit of his educational background and his 12 years’ experience as Westford’s assistant superintendent, John Crisafulli is in tune with the needs of local students.”
Throughout Dr. Crisafulli’s tenure as Westford’s Superintendent of Schools, he was always an advocate for all students attending Westford schools. In 1985, Mr. Crisafulli helped start the special needs Parent Advisory Council which met monthly to discuss the needs of special education students. The superintendent’s office also helped secure a vocational training grant at Westford Academy which provided special needs students with training in food services and child development.
Superintendent Crisafulli also believed in heterogeneous classrooms that allowed all students to take honor credit classes which had previously been restricted to elite students. Dr. Crisafulli stated that his educational “philosophy precludes the use of grouping and believed in mixed grouping and believed that mixed classes give all students equal chance to gain the most from their education.”
As superintendent, Mr. Crisaullli was always available to help the schools of Westford in any way that he could. In January 1990, students of Westford Academy produced a unique fundraising idea. They would pick up Christmas trees on two Saturdays at residents’ homes for a fee of $ 10.00 and take them to the Town Highway Garage and have them recycled. They managed to collect two hundred trees on the two Saturdays. Dr. Crisafulli drove one of the trucks.
During the years that John Crisafulli was school superintendent, the Westford school system saw tremendous growth, vision, and accomplishments. Superintendent Crisafulli designed and oversaw the expansion of Westford Academy’s enrollment from 1,000 to 1,800 students. The expansion included an 850 seat performance center.
Under Dr. Crisafulli’s direction the town saw the construction and opening of the new Blanchard Middle School and the expansion and renovation of the New Nabnasset School. Also, the Westford School Department introduced computer education to all middle school students in 1985 and in 1986 to grades four and five. In Mr. Crisafulli’s final year as superintendent, Westford’s school system ranked 19th out of 353 school districts in Massachusetts.
Dr. John Crisafulli retired in 1999. In 2002, a new elementary school was built in town. It was appropriately named the John A. Crisafulli Elementary School at 13 Robinson Road.
Sources:
1985 Westford Town Report, p. 170
1986 Westford Town Report, p.123.
1997 Westford Town Report,
1999, Westford Town Report. P. 69.
“Temporary school changes made in Wilmington,” Lowell Sun, August 11, 1969, p. 30.
Ibid. “Crisafulli named to Westford school position, June 11, 1973, p. 21.
Ibid. “Parent involvement in school success key,” June 13, 1977, p. 37.
“John Crisafulli guest speaker at Rotary,” Westford Eagle, p. 5.
Ibid. “Crisafulli to be new superintendent,” January 24, 1985, p. 1, 11.
Ibid. “Good decision on superintendent, January 31, 1985, p. 4.
Ibid. “Eagle Eye View,” by Marlene Switzer, January 11, 1990, p.4.
April 2024