On December 22, the Pelham School District’s Safety Coordinator, Ralph DeMasi, retired from his role in the Pelham school system. This marked his final day after 14 years of serving the District. DeMasi provided oversight to the PMHS team of safety monitors, managed emergencies, helped to develop school protocols, and was the liaison with the police and fire departments. Aside from his important roles and duties on the security staff, DeMasi himself is a PMHS alumni in the Class of 1976 and has been a member of the Pelham community for many years.

DeMasi was extremely well-respected and contributed to the positive work environment among the security staff at PMHS. Several of his former co-workers spoke about their experience working alongside DeMasi. 

Current, and beloved, safety monitor April Clapp said, “What I will miss about Ralph is his patience with handling different situations in the school district. He treated everyone with respect.”

Clapp also commented on her favorite aspect of working with Mr. DeMasi,

“We shared the same office for 11 years. A lot of laughs and some tears and we both learned a lot from each other.” 

Mr. Sannella, another member of the PMHS safety staff, remarked on his appreciation for working with DeMasi.

“The boss everyone dreams of having, but few are lucky to. We are those few,”  Sanella said.

On his final day teachers, administrators, safety officers, and staff lined both sides of the hallway to offer their best wishes, offering elbows to bump as he took one final parade march past his office.

Ralph DeMasi’s energetic attitude will be missed at PMHS. The collective staff and all students, past and present, of PMHS were extremely fortunate to have been able to spend 14 amazing years with DeMasi. We hope that he has a wonderful retirement and we would like to thank him for all of the work and effort that he put into keeping our school community safe.