Shannon Nassi
Staff Writer '18
Many students know Mr. Bonvicino as the man who enjoys math and running. Well that’s exactly who he is-- just kidding! Mr. Bonvicino is much more than a teacher and coach in the North community. Beginning in 1999 as a leave replacement, this dedicated teacher has been working at Great Neck North High School for 18 years, (almost as long as Principal Kaplan), which makes him one of the few teachers who’s been working at GNN longer than the senior class has been alive.
Being a department head, “Bonvo” has a ton of knowledge under his belt and basically teaches every upperclassmen Math course there is. This year he can be found teaching Algebra 2/Trig, Pre Calculus Honors and AP Calculus BC. All Mr. Bonvicino wants from his students is for them to be active participants in the classroom and do their homework outside of the classroom, saying “doing these things can make you become much better mathematically than you have ever been”. Seeing that Bonvicino has only worked at Great Neck North, it has clearly shaped who he’s become as a professional. He claims that working at GNN has allowed him to do a better job of putting himself in the shoes of his students.
Before earning three titles, Department Head, Math Teacher, and Girls Cross Country/Track Coach, Mr. Bonvicino went through many years of clown college to learn how to properly juggle such a demanding workload. His advice to other teachers who would like to indulge themselves in their work lives is to be as good as possible, and if they can’t be great then there really isn’t much of a point. Although it may seem to the average student that Mr. Bonvicino has way too much on his plate he actually is great at separating work and play. “I have a very short memory, so when I leave this building, I forget what happened here, and most of the time remember it again when I get back in the building. I'm sort of like that guy from Momento in that respect. If you haven't seen the movie, you should. It's a good one.”
When Mr. Bonvicino isn’t in the classroom he’s usually at the track with his athletes. Mr. Bonvicino has been coaching Girls Cross Country, Winter Track, and Spring Track since 2003. He previously coached both of these sports at Adelphi University, had a brief stint as a high school basketball coach and as a middle school soccer coach. Athletes know that Bonvicino demands dedication and a drive to succeed. Without those things, he isn’t really sure why anyone would play sports at all. He finds it extremely unfair to athletes, their coaches, and their teammates to be on a team that they don’t put their all into. Those who aren’t scared of his high expectations have definitely seen his contributions to his teams at GNN.
He believes that most importantly, his athletes learn what it means to be a contributing member of a team, learn what it means to put everything they have into something, and hopefully have some fun along the way. Mr. Bonvicino believes that coaching and teaching have really assisted in the development of building strong relationships with his students. After transitioning to chairperson of the Math Department, the number of students he got to teach decreased, which was saddening seeing as he knows being involved in the school community in very important. “I'd much rather get to know as many students as possible. The more you know, the more chances you have at making some sort of difference. It's a math thing.”
Mr. Bonvicino knows that being a student-athlete is a very difficult role that many students struggle with. To fully commit to two things can always be tough. This role was something Mr. Bonvicino struggled with as an adolescent as well. He knows first-handedly that students need to be able to use sports as an outlet and separate both halves of their lives when they walk on the field, court, or track. After one does poorly on a test, there is nothing better than playing sports to forget about it. “If you look at your sport as if it something stressful, then you should not do it, because like I said before, why do something if you are not going to do the best you can at it?”
Being apart of the athletic program since he was a mere freshman, he played soccer and then both seasons of track. His coach convinced him to run Cross Country, “which was tough for me because I was a sprinter, but I did it anyways after freshman year. I always wanted to play football, but my dad was a soccer guy and he always told me I would get hurt.That is a regret of mine. Basically I became solely a runner in my high school, but continued to play other organized sports, like baseball and basketball, in my downtime.”
All in all Mr. Bonvicino has worked hard to create and sustain wonderful programs at Great Neck North High School. He hopes that students know, “There are always people that are better than you at what you do. It's your job to make sure that you catch up to them."
Staff Writer '18
Many students know Mr. Bonvicino as the man who enjoys math and running. Well that’s exactly who he is-- just kidding! Mr. Bonvicino is much more than a teacher and coach in the North community. Beginning in 1999 as a leave replacement, this dedicated teacher has been working at Great Neck North High School for 18 years, (almost as long as Principal Kaplan), which makes him one of the few teachers who’s been working at GNN longer than the senior class has been alive.
Being a department head, “Bonvo” has a ton of knowledge under his belt and basically teaches every upperclassmen Math course there is. This year he can be found teaching Algebra 2/Trig, Pre Calculus Honors and AP Calculus BC. All Mr. Bonvicino wants from his students is for them to be active participants in the classroom and do their homework outside of the classroom, saying “doing these things can make you become much better mathematically than you have ever been”. Seeing that Bonvicino has only worked at Great Neck North, it has clearly shaped who he’s become as a professional. He claims that working at GNN has allowed him to do a better job of putting himself in the shoes of his students.
Before earning three titles, Department Head, Math Teacher, and Girls Cross Country/Track Coach, Mr. Bonvicino went through many years of clown college to learn how to properly juggle such a demanding workload. His advice to other teachers who would like to indulge themselves in their work lives is to be as good as possible, and if they can’t be great then there really isn’t much of a point. Although it may seem to the average student that Mr. Bonvicino has way too much on his plate he actually is great at separating work and play. “I have a very short memory, so when I leave this building, I forget what happened here, and most of the time remember it again when I get back in the building. I'm sort of like that guy from Momento in that respect. If you haven't seen the movie, you should. It's a good one.”
When Mr. Bonvicino isn’t in the classroom he’s usually at the track with his athletes. Mr. Bonvicino has been coaching Girls Cross Country, Winter Track, and Spring Track since 2003. He previously coached both of these sports at Adelphi University, had a brief stint as a high school basketball coach and as a middle school soccer coach. Athletes know that Bonvicino demands dedication and a drive to succeed. Without those things, he isn’t really sure why anyone would play sports at all. He finds it extremely unfair to athletes, their coaches, and their teammates to be on a team that they don’t put their all into. Those who aren’t scared of his high expectations have definitely seen his contributions to his teams at GNN.
He believes that most importantly, his athletes learn what it means to be a contributing member of a team, learn what it means to put everything they have into something, and hopefully have some fun along the way. Mr. Bonvicino believes that coaching and teaching have really assisted in the development of building strong relationships with his students. After transitioning to chairperson of the Math Department, the number of students he got to teach decreased, which was saddening seeing as he knows being involved in the school community in very important. “I'd much rather get to know as many students as possible. The more you know, the more chances you have at making some sort of difference. It's a math thing.”
Mr. Bonvicino knows that being a student-athlete is a very difficult role that many students struggle with. To fully commit to two things can always be tough. This role was something Mr. Bonvicino struggled with as an adolescent as well. He knows first-handedly that students need to be able to use sports as an outlet and separate both halves of their lives when they walk on the field, court, or track. After one does poorly on a test, there is nothing better than playing sports to forget about it. “If you look at your sport as if it something stressful, then you should not do it, because like I said before, why do something if you are not going to do the best you can at it?”
Being apart of the athletic program since he was a mere freshman, he played soccer and then both seasons of track. His coach convinced him to run Cross Country, “which was tough for me because I was a sprinter, but I did it anyways after freshman year. I always wanted to play football, but my dad was a soccer guy and he always told me I would get hurt.That is a regret of mine. Basically I became solely a runner in my high school, but continued to play other organized sports, like baseball and basketball, in my downtime.”
All in all Mr. Bonvicino has worked hard to create and sustain wonderful programs at Great Neck North High School. He hopes that students know, “There are always people that are better than you at what you do. It's your job to make sure that you catch up to them."