Paul Manganella joined our board this fall after having reached out to his former Bridgeview Montessori Art teacher and our current Head of School, Sandy Nickerson, inquiring about giving back. This is a first for us, and his participation is marked by enthusiasm and unique insight into ‘Why Bridgeview?’. Thank you, Paul. ~ Suzanne Lawson
masthead photo: Paul and his Little Brother Nate.
Hi All,
My name is Paul Manganella, and twenty years ago I was enrolled as a student here at Bridgeview Montessori School. I’ve recently joined the Board of Trustees as the first Alumni board member and have been asked to share a little about my decision to get involved with the school all these years later.
Paul in Elementary.
As a child, I often found myself getting low scores on tests, and those negative feelings were reinforced by my inability to make friends. It was far less trendy to be an avid Lord of The Rings fan in 1999, and I had the athletic prowess of a baby giraffe. I was not high on the kickball pick list. Above all, I really struggled with the traditional ‘sit at a desk for 6 hours’ style of learning. And, my teachers were more than happy to let me know how much they struggled with me. In my head I was a chubby, inauthentic loser who teachers hated … A difficult headspace for a child to thrive within. My incredible parents were always in my corner and began looking into alternative educational routes. I ended up at Bridgeview between 2nd and 5th grades. My parents brought me in for a tour of the school, and we met Jean Rice who had founded the school alongside her husband Palmer True. They themselves had two boys in the school around my age. I quickly found a feeling of community I had never known before, and school immediately went from the dread of my existence to something I looked forward to. I ended up returning to public school later in life, and I was able to succeed in that setting because of the development and education I received here, at Bridgeview.
After obtaining degrees in finance and economics from Saint Joseph’s University, I moved back to Cape Cod. I met my incredible wife, Emeline. On our first date she told me, “I just got my dream job in Woods Hole - I’m never leaving the Cape.” Turns out she was dead serious. Eventually I accepted my fate as a local and began to think about what I would do here. I have been volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters for the last 8 years and, as my little brother is now almost an adult himself, was considering how I might give back as someone who would be living on-Cape long-term. I had been talking with a friend, shout out to Carly Larson another Bridgeview alum, about the school and about how great the memories were. That lead me to looking into how to get involved, which in turn lead to my touring the school and reuniting with my former art teacher Sandy Nickerson who is still an art teacher but who has become Head of School. Sandy gave me an opportunity to interview with the board about my interest in becoming a board member, and here I am.
It is an honor to join the board, an organization comprised of such fine folks who do a wonderful job building up the school as a nonprofit. The passion for education and Montessori principles at this school are mirrored by the faculty and staff who are world-class. I have found Bridgeview Montessori to be a place where parents are proud to send their children, faculty and staff are happy to invest their expertise. Like me, I imagine students will remember their experiences for the rest of their lives.
My honest intent as a board member is to continue what the board has accomplished by actively seeking to create value for the organization. The board has done a phenomenal job ensuring the school is growing and will continue to do so for years to come. I look forward to helping them in that mission and am specifically looking to engage with other alumni to learn how their Bridgeview educations have impacted who they are and what they do. I look forward to meeting you all at some point!