Salvatore Pettinato
Former Branford High School teacher Salvatore Pettinato, was born in 1929 and raised in Altoona, Pennsylvania, by Italian immigrants. His mother, who emigrated from a town near Rome, and his father, who emigrated from a small village in Sicily, met in America and raised two sons, Salvatore and Nunzio. The brothers grew up in an Old World Italian household that made its own wine, grew its own vegetables and made its own bread and pasta. Italian was their first language, spoken all the time at home and they did not learn English until they started school. A rather unusual beginning to an eventual career as an English teacher!
Sal married Mary Corcoran in 1957 in California, where Sal earned his Bachelor of Science at the University of California at Los Angeles. They had two sons, then moved to the East Coast where he earned his Master’s Degree at New York University. He and Mary settled in Guilford, had two daughters and Sal began his teaching career at Branford High School.
Sal loved being a teacher. No matter how long or trying his day at school he always went home with good cheer and a warm smile. He taught many electives in the English curriculum, including Creative Writing. He introduced to the English curriculum the concept of teaching literary imagery through film and visual medium. It was a form that motivated Branford students in the learning process. Sal was involved in visual media, super-8 filmmaking and production. To say Sal was a pioneer in the visual arts would be grossly short changing his many contributions. In short, he was a visionary. He constantly encouraged students, both filmmakers and writers, to stretch their imagination and impressed upon them that they were only limited by their own sense of creativity.
When Sal’s career was cut short by a tragic accident which caused the permanent loss of his sight, he never lost his zest for life or his insatiable curiosity. Another elective Sal taught, Books of the East”, became one of the most popular electives offered. Through it he had learned the studies of Zen, Tai Chi, and meditation and introduced them to his students. With the loss of his sight, he especially applied himself to these same studies. His family believes his deep spirituality and understanding of Zen helped him to accept his blindness.
Sal’s filmmaking course opened up whole new worlds of self-expression as did his creative writing course. His Books of East course introduced his students to the importance of the state of one’s mind and body. A colleague who shared a room with Sal said, “I was a daily witness to one of the most creative, open-minded, progressive and humorous people I’ve ever encountered. Sal always worked outside of the box; in fact, as far as Sal was concerned, there was no box.” Perhaps another colleague summed it up best when he said, “Sal was unique, talented, gifted, very personable, ethical and a visionary. He had a major impact on all of his students.”
Sal married Mary Corcoran in 1957 in California, where Sal earned his Bachelor of Science at the University of California at Los Angeles. They had two sons, then moved to the East Coast where he earned his Master’s Degree at New York University. He and Mary settled in Guilford, had two daughters and Sal began his teaching career at Branford High School.
Sal loved being a teacher. No matter how long or trying his day at school he always went home with good cheer and a warm smile. He taught many electives in the English curriculum, including Creative Writing. He introduced to the English curriculum the concept of teaching literary imagery through film and visual medium. It was a form that motivated Branford students in the learning process. Sal was involved in visual media, super-8 filmmaking and production. To say Sal was a pioneer in the visual arts would be grossly short changing his many contributions. In short, he was a visionary. He constantly encouraged students, both filmmakers and writers, to stretch their imagination and impressed upon them that they were only limited by their own sense of creativity.
When Sal’s career was cut short by a tragic accident which caused the permanent loss of his sight, he never lost his zest for life or his insatiable curiosity. Another elective Sal taught, Books of the East”, became one of the most popular electives offered. Through it he had learned the studies of Zen, Tai Chi, and meditation and introduced them to his students. With the loss of his sight, he especially applied himself to these same studies. His family believes his deep spirituality and understanding of Zen helped him to accept his blindness.
Sal’s filmmaking course opened up whole new worlds of self-expression as did his creative writing course. His Books of East course introduced his students to the importance of the state of one’s mind and body. A colleague who shared a room with Sal said, “I was a daily witness to one of the most creative, open-minded, progressive and humorous people I’ve ever encountered. Sal always worked outside of the box; in fact, as far as Sal was concerned, there was no box.” Perhaps another colleague summed it up best when he said, “Sal was unique, talented, gifted, very personable, ethical and a visionary. He had a major impact on all of his students.”
Letters of Nomination
I’d like to nominate Sal Pettinato for the Branford Education Hall of Fame. Sal was not only a creative teacher, but also an inspiring human being. Already at Branford when I arrived in 1972, he gave me the best advice I ever received as a novice: “grab the seat of your pants and run.” Trust your gut. Let one good idea spark another. Even though I tempered this idea considerably over the years, this colloquial bit of wisdom always reminded me of the paramount importance of spontaneity, which fueled the dynamic energy of Sal’s classroom.
The 70s were, of course, a tumultuous time in America, and BHS was no exception, but through it all, Sal’s good humor and Zen-like calm helped everyone, faculty and students alike keep the ship from capsizing completely. His signature course, Books of the East, was one of the most popular electives we offered, possibly because it afforded a respite from the madness engulfing the nation. His filmmaking course opened up whole new worlds of self-expression; Children and the World of Imagination invited students to rekindle their sense of wonder; and Nature Stories instilled a love of, in the words of James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small.
Sal’s career, as many of you know, was cut short by a tragic accident which left him blind; but to my knowledge, his blindness never crushed his zest for life. He found strength in meditation and was an early adapter of technologies which enabled him to maintain correspondence with his fellow sojourners on the path to inner peace. Sal was a treasure lost too soon, a treasure who left an indelible mark on all whom he touched, teachers and students alike. I therefore nominate Sal Pettinato for the Branford Education Hall of Fame.
The 70s were, of course, a tumultuous time in America, and BHS was no exception, but through it all, Sal’s good humor and Zen-like calm helped everyone, faculty and students alike keep the ship from capsizing completely. His signature course, Books of the East, was one of the most popular electives we offered, possibly because it afforded a respite from the madness engulfing the nation. His filmmaking course opened up whole new worlds of self-expression; Children and the World of Imagination invited students to rekindle their sense of wonder; and Nature Stories instilled a love of, in the words of James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small.
Sal’s career, as many of you know, was cut short by a tragic accident which left him blind; but to my knowledge, his blindness never crushed his zest for life. He found strength in meditation and was an early adapter of technologies which enabled him to maintain correspondence with his fellow sojourners on the path to inner peace. Sal was a treasure lost too soon, a treasure who left an indelible mark on all whom he touched, teachers and students alike. I therefore nominate Sal Pettinato for the Branford Education Hall of Fame.
Please let this communication serve as my nomination of Sal Pettinato for induction into the Branford Education Hall of Fame.
I first met Sal in the early 70's, when I took the position of English teacher at BHS. He, of course, was a member of the then esteemed English Dept., supervised by the progressive leadership of Armand Zimmermann.
In those early years, we shared a room, and worked side by side; we were both involved in visual media, super-8 filmmaking and production, to be exact. In addition, I also taught a course in film study, and Sal taught creative writing. This necessitated some creative thinking on our part to convert a common classroom into a makeshift studio, production room, editing facility, and screening room for our student filmmakers, and student cinema buffs. Sal knew how to get that accomplished, right down to the black drapes that covered our windows most of the time.
To say Sal was a pioneer in the visual arts would be grossly short changing his many contributions. In short, he was a visionary (let the puns fall where they may). He constantly encouraged students to stretch their imagination, and impress upon them that they were only limited by their own sense of creativity. He pushed boundaries; he was a genuine iconoclast.
Since our desks faced each other, in a fashion similar to big city newspaper offices long before computer screens would replace faces, I was a daily witness to one of the most creative, open-minded, progressive, and humorous people I've ever encountered.
Most of the time we'd throw ideas around for student scripts; discuss how difficult it was to actually make a comedic film; meet with student film teams (they usually worked in teams of two or three); and occasionally we taught traditional English. Sal always worked outside of the box; in fact, as far as Sal was concerned, there was no box.
In closing, Sal was a tremendously positive influence on anyone who ever sat in his classroom. Actually, no one really ever sat for long in that room, there was always too much action.
I would hope that you will give him serious consideration for membership in the education hall of fame.
I first met Sal in the early 70's, when I took the position of English teacher at BHS. He, of course, was a member of the then esteemed English Dept., supervised by the progressive leadership of Armand Zimmermann.
In those early years, we shared a room, and worked side by side; we were both involved in visual media, super-8 filmmaking and production, to be exact. In addition, I also taught a course in film study, and Sal taught creative writing. This necessitated some creative thinking on our part to convert a common classroom into a makeshift studio, production room, editing facility, and screening room for our student filmmakers, and student cinema buffs. Sal knew how to get that accomplished, right down to the black drapes that covered our windows most of the time.
To say Sal was a pioneer in the visual arts would be grossly short changing his many contributions. In short, he was a visionary (let the puns fall where they may). He constantly encouraged students to stretch their imagination, and impress upon them that they were only limited by their own sense of creativity. He pushed boundaries; he was a genuine iconoclast.
Since our desks faced each other, in a fashion similar to big city newspaper offices long before computer screens would replace faces, I was a daily witness to one of the most creative, open-minded, progressive, and humorous people I've ever encountered.
Most of the time we'd throw ideas around for student scripts; discuss how difficult it was to actually make a comedic film; meet with student film teams (they usually worked in teams of two or three); and occasionally we taught traditional English. Sal always worked outside of the box; in fact, as far as Sal was concerned, there was no box.
In closing, Sal was a tremendously positive influence on anyone who ever sat in his classroom. Actually, no one really ever sat for long in that room, there was always too much action.
I would hope that you will give him serious consideration for membership in the education hall of fame.
I am writing to nominate Sal Pettinato to the Hall of Fame. He was a teacher of English and Language Arts at Branford High School in the 1960 - 70s. It was a time of challenge when students were questioning traditional values and looking for teachers that could capture their interests. Sal met those challenges with enthusiasm. He introduced to the English curriculum the concept of teaching literary imagery through film and visual medium. It was a form that motivated Branford students in the learning process. He led the establishment of a new and exciting approach to literature for many of his students who otherwise would have been disinterested in other more traditional modes of instruction. Tragically, Sal’s teaching career was cut short by an accident that caused the permanent loss of his sight. My professional association with Sal came though the Branford Education Association. As President, I assisted with his disability retirement application from teaching. In that short encounter forty years or more ago, I view my interaction with him as an honor in my own career. I truly believe he and his innovations in his teaching exemplifies the excellence and high standards of the Hall of Fame.
I would like to nominate Sal Pettinato for induction into Branford’s Education Hall of Fame. Sal Pettinato was a spiritual leader of Branford High School in the late 1960’s to the mid 1970’s. In “this mess” of the period, Sal was the voice of sense, reason and logic. He spoke forcefully on maintaining high classroom standards, academic excellence and “sanity” in the high school. The Branford High School that Sal Pettinato had to operate in was “this mess”. Male students stayed in school until 21, with no attempts to actually graduate, to avoid the military draft. Massive overcrowding of Branford High called for “modular scheduling”, a disaster. It was so difficult that the BHS principal died of a heart attack speaking to irate Branford residents over the problems. Believe it or not, in this difficult climate for teaching Sal Pettinato was able to employ some of the most ground-breaking and innovative approaches to instruction. They included visual arts, including filmmaking and related areas. These novel approaches were beyond the pale. His classroom style was eons beyond the time in public high school education. He should be inducted into Branford’s Hall of Fame just on these accomplishments Sal Pettinato was the “raspy” voice of reason for all the high school staff. He was unique, talented, gifted, very personable, ethical and a visionary. He had a major impact on kids...back in the day when who you were mattered more than if you could fill out forms on Google Docs. Unfortunately, Sal Pettinato lost his sight and his teaching career ended at Branford High School. He lost his vision but not his zest for life and we lost a brilliant, creative and dynamic teacher…