BRIDGEPORT, W. Va.–Bridgeport High School Principal Matt DeMotto has announced his retirement after a three-decade career in education.
“There’s not a person of whom I’m aware in their right mind that in high school says one day I want to grow up and be a high school principal,” DeMotto told MetroNews. “So, I feel like it picked me. I always liked being around the education environment, and I loved sports.”
DeMotto started as a biology teacher at Washington Irving High School in 1990 before transitioning to science. He then served in teaching roles and as the assistant principal at Nutter Fort Primary School. DeMotto has been principal at Bridgeport for five years. He was assistant principal and athletic director at the school for a dozen years prior.
“Fortunately, we won a lot more than we lost and that’s on the field, on the stage, and in the classroom,” DeMotto said. “I feel good about it; I’m in a place of personal satisfaction.”
DeMotto said they have maintained high standards for conduct and performance during his tenure. According to DeMotto, some policies limiting the use of smart phones in the school have not been popular, but they have created an atmosphere geared toward learning that students appreciate.
“Young people want discipline, they want structure, and they need a routine—we all do,” DeMotto said. “I’m very proud that I was able to play a role in creating that kind of culture here at Bridgeport High School and maintaining that kind of culture.”
DeMotto reflected on a time when there were only three television stations on the dial and said people really haven’t changed. The internet and social media have created a new normal that kids sometimes have a difficult time navigating.
“I don’t think human nature has changed much, and I think young people are really, at their core, no different than they’ve always been,” DeMotto said. “I think the things that surround them are very different.”
DeMotto said education is about helping people. He said he’s had the opportunity to help many students with very difficult situations, and through that, he has found job satisfaction.
“Most educators, when they look back, appreciate those individuals—and we all have them—that they know they were able to reach and that they know they were able to help them through a difficult time,” DeMotto said.