A smile and a wave

During classes, he visits classrooms, meets with teachers, answers phone calls from parents and ticks off a long list of administrative duties.

Every Halloween, when students in costume take a Ghost Walk parade through Stowe village, Smiles leads the parade, wearing a real jack-o’-lantern over his head. Most years, he grows the pumpkin himself.

He is known for his sense of humor and frequent use of puns. He often tells students he has the longest name in the world because “there’s a mile between the first and last S.”

Soon, Smiles will wave goodbye to his students for the last time. He is retiring in June.

Smiles, who lived for years in Hyde Park, now lives in Essex Junction.

‘Hire that man’

Cam Page, who chairs the Stowe School Board, was on the search committee that recommended Smiles 23 years ago.

“I remember clearly that every single letter of reference from the school he was leaving began by describing Richard’s professionalism, his commitment to the success of every child, his calm steady demeanor, and his humor,” Page said. “Then each letter writer urged us to hire this gem and expressed a true sense of loss at his leaving their school. I will say that these feelings sum up mine.”

Smiles has made Stowe Elementary School a place of safety, respect and love of learning, which has helped generations of children build a foundation of self-esteem and self-confidence, Page said.

“Few education administrators are able to maintain the optimism and commitment with which they begin their careers,” Page said. “Richard has done that and added to his practice with years of experience in the trenches.”

Lifelong educator

Smiles grew up in New York City and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the State University of New York-New Paltz. Later he earned a master’s degree from Plymouth State University.

He was a principal of a small elementary school near Franconia, N.H., for 10 years before he applied for the principal’s job in Stowe.

“I was impressed with the Vermont education system,” said Smiles, who had two young children at the time. “My family and I loved New Hampshire, but we wanted to be in a slightly larger community.”

While school financing has been a challenge and enrollment statewide has been dropping for the past 20 years, the Stowe school system has retained its excellence, he said.

“This is a community of vary caring, committed parents,” Smiles said. “They all want what’s best for the children and are willing to support the school and volunteer.”

The community has come together during national tragedies, such as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and when students and their families had problems, such as serious illnesses, he said.

“I think we’ve worked very hard to create a climate of support and kindness,” Smiles said. “Having children and adults treat each other respectfully and in a caring and kind manner is important.”

He credits his staff for Stowe’s status as a sought-after school district.

“They are diverse in years of experience and very dedicated and team-oriented,” Smiles said. “They are very willing to work hard, always in a cooperative fashion.”

Community meetings in the gymnasium every Friday bring students together as one school, rather than a collection of different grades in different classrooms, he said.

Classrooms take turns explaining what they’re learning and special projects they’re working on, and community guests sometimes give presentations.

Changing role

“Principals used to be thought of as disciplinarians,” Smiles said. “That perception has changed, both on the part of the faculty and parents.

“In most places, they see the principal as instructional and managerial, generally more supportive than in earlier years.”

Smiles and his staff take a team approach to discipline.

“We try to get at the root cause,” Smiles said. “We try to remember they’re not fully formed. They’re children. We’re trying to teach them responsibility and to learn from one’s mistakes.”

Smiles has worked to make school enjoyable so that students look forward to showing up every day.

He once arranged to have four skydivers land behind the school for a celebration day.

He created Trivia Bus, in which a community member hops onto one of the school buses, quizzes students, and gives out prizes along the bus route.

He helped start the school’s annual egg drop competition, in which students use science and technology skills to make protective capsules for eggs. The egg drop is held in front of the school, with the help of the Stowe Electric Department and its 60-foot bucket truck.

Trusting teachers

Smiles has a knack for mentoring staff members, while empowering them to make decisions based on what’s best for students.

Fifth-grade teacher Michael Rapoport has worked with him since 2005.

A sense of humor is one of Smiles’ biggest attributes, Rapoport said: “He has that ability to bring humor to situations when it is most needed.”

What’s it like to work with Smiles?

“He taught me to always think about the kids first when making decisions,” Rapoport said. “He taught me that some things are out of our control and to not sweat those small things too much.”

Smiles respects his teachers and treats them as equals, Rapoport said: “I never thought of him as my ‘boss.’ He is very supportive and you feel that he always cares for you and will back your decision. He will let you know with a subtle smile when you need to rethink your approach and will encourage you to take on leadership roles within the building and district. You can approach him with new ideas and he will be on board and supportive from the beginning.

“Every single teacher in our school is a leader in some area and this is because Richard encourages us to take on those roles and he provides support and guidance when needed.”

Next career

A few factors make this the right time for retirement, Smiles said.

“I’m turning 65 and there’s the realization that I’ve been involved in education for over 45 years,” Smiles said. “And I have a desire to spend more time with my wife and grandchildren.”

He doesn’t plan to stop working completely.

“I envision part- or full-time work, inside or outside of education,” Smiles said.

And, he’ll spend more time riding his BMW touring motorcycle that he sometimes rides to school in warm weather.

He offers this advice to his successor: “You absolutely must enjoy what young children bring to learning. You have to encourage children and have within yourself a sense of wonderment and awe.”

It’s also important to have a sense of humor, Smiles said.

He recalled when students competed to create a Stowe Elementary School T-shirt design. A winning design was chosen and a few dozen shirts were printed.

Smiles was wearing one of the shirts when a fourth-grader looked at him quizzically and pointed out that the word “elementary” was misspelled.