Fitch legend retires after 35 years

Photo

Neighbors | Submitted .Joseph Marino dresses up in one of his famed costumes for his Mythology class. Marino retired on Jan. 22 after 35 years of teaching at Austintown Fitch.

By GRACE WYLER gwyler@vindy.com

The classrooms and hallways at Austintown Fitch High School will be just a little less joyous and fun-filled after the retirement of English teacher Joseph Marino on Jan. 28.

Marino, a teacher at Fitch for 35 years, is somewhat of a legend at the high school, known for his humor and his passion for teaching. He taught the school’s popular Mythology courses and was a tennis coach for 16 years.

“If you have humor and passion — and compassion — they know you really care about them as students,” Marino said. “If you can teach with humor, you can hold the kids’ attention. Their attention span is nil — you can’t get ’em until you get ’em. But once you have them, you have their attention and it never goes away.”

Dennis Jasinski, the 11th-grade principal, mourned the loss of a “well-rounded person and outstanding educator.”

“He teaches Greek mythology and his classes are always full, which speaks volumes,” Jasinski said. “It is not an easy class, but his passion makes it easy because he makes the kids comfortable in class.”

James Davis, an Austintown trustee and a former student in Marino’s mythology class, commended Marino for his teaching career.

“It’s safe to say that Mr. Marino is a legend at Fitch — he had a unique way of grabbing your attention,” Davis said. “I feel that Austintown is losing one of its greatest assests, and that’s Joseph Marino. What he did for our community and the kids in our community is great.”

Marino, who grew up in Niles and lives in Warren, said he used to dream about working at Fitch because the community and the students are hardworking and respectful.

“I will always consider myself a Fitch teacher, always,” he said. “I just couldn’t have asked for a better career — I told my students on Friday, I hope you find a spouse like I found, I hope you find a career like I found. It makes for a very rewarding life.”

A Facebook fan page dedicated to Marino, created by Fitch senior Brad Oskowski, has 1,277 members.

The “official fan club for Fitch High School’s God of Mythology: Mr. Marino!” has photos and videos of Marino in the classroom, including a picture of him dressed up as a character from Greek mythology, a stunt for which he is well known.

Former students have written on the page’s wall, often addressing their messages to Mr. Marino, although he has not yet seen the page.

“You are by far the best teacher I ever had,” wrote Sharon Szymanski, who graduated from Fitch in 1988. “You have a true gift to teach and I will never forget you!”

Other students wrote down memories that they have of moments in Marino’s class or ways in which Marino touched their lives.

“I remember staying up all night with friends cutting out Greek mythology references from magazines, books, whatever we could find, for our extra credit projects,” wrote Suzi Forrest Magill, a member of Fitch’s class of 1990. “Best wishes to you, Mr. Marino — definitely one of my all time favorite teachers.”

Many write on the wall simply to thank Marino for being a wonderful teacher and tennis coach. Davis said he sees the fan page wall as an “opus,” that acts as a testament to the affect Marino had on his students.

“People are trying to give back to him what he gave to them,” Davis said. “How do you thank somebody for all of the work he has done? When he was at Fitch, he devoted himself to the students.”