Banzer and McLaughlin celebrated at retirement reception, praised for decades of leadership

The retirements of Superintendent Robert Banzer and Assistant Superintendent Irene McLaughlin were celebrated in the William J. Brosnan building gymnasium last Thursday, December 14. Sharing decades as Northport-East Northport district employees, the two were praised for their work and commitment to students with a ceremony that included proclamations, gifts and speeches. 

Robert Banzer
Robert Banzer was born and raised in East Northport and graduated from Northport High School in 1984. He returned to his home district as superintendent in 2015 and since then, has “expanded the district’s educational program to be one of the most diverse on Long Island while simultaneously implementing significant capital improvements and navigating numerous challenges including the pandemic,” read a statement from the district. 

Under Banzer’s leadership, program enhancements have included expanding ICT classes, implementation of a districtwide STEM Enrichment for All program, a Unified Sports program for which Northport High School has been named a Unified Champion Banner School, a teacher immersion program, and an increased focus on social-emotional learning including implementation of responsive classroom.

Prior to his role as superintendent in his hometown, Banzer was director for human resources at Wayne Central School District in upstate New York and served as assistant superintendent for instruction at Brockport Central School District for six years. Before that, he held the positions of middle school principal and assistant high school principal in Brockport, each for three years. Banzer was also a classroom teacher for 11 years in two school districts in Maryland and at Brockport High School, where he primarily taught U.S. history and economics.  

At last week’s celebration, the outgoing superintendent was praised for getting the district through several challenging years, and leading with warmth and guidance. He was called a man of great integrity and a humanitarian who always thought about the kids first. 

Banzer was given a ship’s steering wheel with a sailboat and “Northport-East Northport” engraving. It serves as a metaphor for his role as captain of the ship, “for the commodore you’ve been,” explained Dr. Timothy Hoss, principal of Northport Middle School and NASA (Northport Association of School Administrators) president. The back of the wheel contained the following message: “Captain, your leadership has been our compass. You’ve charted the course and helped us navigate both calm and rough waters. As you set sail into retirement, we wish you fair winds and tranquil seas on your next well-deserved voyage. The memories from your guidance will continue to inspire us and the legacy you leave behind will be a beacon for generations to come.”

“There were some long days, but the years went by very, very quickly,” Banzer said as he reflected on his time living in and working for the NEN district. 

“Today would be my father’s 91st birthday,” Banzer said, choking up for a moment. “My parents hit the lottery when they moved here. To have gone through this system, and the people that supported me, I was just a kid with three older brothers, living in a 1,500-square- foot ranch. My dad was a union sheet metal worker and the ’70s were very tough. I was a free-and-reduced-lunch kid for a while, and there were people in this organization that kept an eye on me. Some of them probably wouldn’t have seen me in this role,” he said to laughter, “but that just speaks to their belief in me throughout the years, and that’s what we’re doing in return for our students. It’s what we’ve done in the past and what we’re going to do going forward.”

Banzer thanked the community, district teachers, staff, “amazing administrators,” and the board of education for their tireless work on behalf of the students, adding that the celebration  was a moving and humbling night he’ll never forget. “I’ll never forget the flash mob either,” he added.  

Irene McLaughlin
Irene McLaughlin has worked in the NEN district for 39.5 years. “I started when I was 12,” she joked at the retirement celebration. 

McLaughlin’s NEN career began straight out of college as a part-time health education teacher in Northport Middle School in 1984. She then taught health full-time at Norwood Avenue, Fifth Avenue and Pulaski Road elementary schools, followed by a teaching position at Northport High School (NHS) that began in 1992. At the high school, she coached JV girls basketball and softball. McLaughlin later became assistant principal at NHS and was promoted to principal in 2003. She became assistant superintendent of human resources for the district in 2015.  

Her leadership style was described from starting in the middle, creating a team around her and moving everyone forward, toward a common goal. 

“We thank you for making us all better leaders and better people,” said Robin Rann, chairperson for mathematics and NASA representative. McLaughlin was gifted with the wooden Northport plaque that used to hang behind her desk while she was principal at Northport High School. “There’s another one being made for the principal’s office now, but this one is going home with Irene,” Rann said. On the back of the plaque reads a message including, “Our eternal coach, our trusted advisor, our favorite storyteller, you have left an indelible mark on our hearts and you will be sorely missed.”

“I have taught and served all my years here,” McLaughlin said while holding back tears. “It’s been a great ride. Great students, fantastic teachers and staff, unbelievable administrators, great supervisors, board of ed members – I can start naming people but I’d leave someone out who had a huge impact.” She admitted to being a storyteller and said that she can tell a story about every person standing in the gymnasium that night, “because you all have impacted me in different ways, and I’d like to say ‘thank you’ for that.”