Your Turn
Elizabeth Farry
Guest Column
Former student believes Matawan band teacher’s optimism, contagious energy will live forever

Our community lost an amazing person recently. Mr. Carlo Vinci Jr., the band director at Matawan High School, lost his battle with cancer. He worked in Matawan for 30 years and was an inductee in the Matawan-Aberdeen Hall of Fame.

Those who knew Mr. Vinci can understand what kind of a man he was. He was so unique that it’s very difficult to describe in words. But his importance demands at least an attempt.

Mr. Vinci lead his band and taught his classes with unbelievable dedication and enthusiasm. While his students would have to drag themselves into class during the week or to early morning marching band competitions on the weekends, he would come in with a surprising amount of energy, usually dancing a little jig. He would say some sort of random thought or tell a joke that everyone would roll their eyes at and muffle their laughs because it often made no sense. His energy was absolutely contagious. It made a group of high school kids, who would naturally rather be anywhere but in school, actually enjoy parts of their day.

For my friends and I, the band room was home. It was a place we could go to escape the pressures of everyday high school life. Seeing Mr. Vinci was like going to see a friend. He always made sure that we felt safe and at home in the band room. He truly made it "our" band room.

Mr. Vinci did so much more than teach us to play instruments. He was always full of useless information. We could never come up with a question that he didn’t know the answer to (or at least couldn’t trick us into thinking he knew the answer).

Even more than those random thoughts, Mr. Vinci prepared us for life. He taught us dedication and teamwork, kindness and optimism. He encouraged us to never settle for the average life. He always pushed us to be better.

Mr. Vinci not only cared about our grades or how much we practiced, he also kept a watchful eye over our lives. He knew when we were feeling down or having a bad day, and he would always have something to say to make us smile. He knew when we were sick and he continually asked how we were feeling as we were getting better. He knew when there were bigger, scarier things going on in our lives that had nothing to do with school or band. And he always made sure that we knew we could come to him for help and guidance, no matter what the problem was.

Mr. Vinci’s death brought together so many Matawan students and alumni. A huge network of people touched by Mr. Vinci realized just how much they took for granted this amazing person we were all so blessed to know. Many of us are left angry and devastated over his death. But maybe without his death, his memory in our minds would have simply dwindled away, growing more and more faint with time. Maybe he would have become merely "that teacher from high school." But because of his death, we were all forced to realize just how much he really meant to us.

His death acted as a stamp in our memory, forever imprinting his legacy in our minds. He will never just be "that teacher from high school."

His talent and knowledge will never be forgotten. His optimism and energy will live on in all those he touched. His humor and kindness will forever define him. The memory of Mr. Vinci will live with us forever.

Elizabeth Farry, 19, is a resident of Matawan.