New middle school prin­cipal area native By elaine van develde Staff Writer VERONICA YANKOWSKI John De Genito, the new Hazlet Middle School principal, poses Monday next to the school’s marquee welcoming him. HAZLET — He’s been called to the principal’s office — again. This time it’s on familiar territory that is close to his heart. Sitting in his new office last week, John De Genito, 44, said he is not only pleased to be back on his old turf at Hazlet Middle School, but also eager to impart his own administrative style in a district that he feels already has a solid reputation for excellence. That style, the Middletown native said, consists of a lot of one-on-one interaction with the student body to create some lasting impressions. Students will see a lot of De Genito. He believes that a good administrator "has to be [near] the heartbeat of the school — that’s in the classroom." Middle school-aged kids, he said, are also a particularly interesting age group to affect. "I love working with young people throughout town. It’s invigorating. You never know what to expect. They’re at a spot in-between kid and adult, and they’re very impressionable. Having an influence over them at this age is a great opportunity to mold character, to point them in the right direction." De Genito thinks Hazlet and its immediate area is a good home base from which to spring onto a path toward academic success. He knows because he’s been there. "I’m not a transplant," he said. "I’m a local boy. I can remember when there were farms in Hazlet. There is, and always has been, a lot of heart in Hazlet." Now an Ocean Township resident, De Genito started his academic career in Middletown. He grew up in the Leonardo section, and saw quite a bit of Hazlet and its students during his youth. De Genito got a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Monmouth University, West Long Branch, and then obtained K-8 teaching certification from Kean University, Union. Knowing education was the path on which he was destined to stay, De Genito decided to advance his educational career by also getting a master’s degree in education administration from Kean. After teaching elementary and middle schools for 19 years in his hometown, De Genito went from teacher to administrator at Marlboro’s Frank DeFino Central School (K-6) where he served as vice principal. Most recently, he migrated to Bradley Beach, where he was principal of Bradley Beach Elementary School (K-8). Throughout his career, De Genito has somehow always ended up paying a few visits to the Hazlet school district. The bulk of his career was spent teaching middle school. "I have achieved a great comfort level with that age group," he said. Wherever he taught, he also coached, directed plays, and acted as a student council and yearbook adviser. In those capacities, De Genito got around, somehow ending up in Hazlet for one reason or another. Now he is back to stay, for a while. "This [job] is a great opportunity," De Genito said. "Not only am I back in an area I grew up in, but I’m coming into a school that was run well. There are abso­lutely no messes to clean up. My prede­cessor, Richard Sherman, was a well-re­spected administrator with an esteemed reputation who just retired." Sherman was in the district for 34 years, the last 13 of which were spent as the middle school principal. Students will see a new face in September, and they’ll see a lot of it, if De Genito has his way.