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Michael C. Hodgkiss, Copiague educator retiring after 32 years
He went to the schools there, was a custodian, became a teacher, an administrator and is a lifelong resident who pays the school taxes for the district in which he works. After five years as the principal at Walter G. O'Connell High School and 32 total years in the district, Hodgkiss is retiring. Copiague Middle School principal Albert Voorneveld will be the new high school leader this fall. "It's just time," Hodgkiss said. "I have two grandkids I want to spend time with. It's bitter sweet walking out the door though." Hodgkiss said he has some other dreams he'd like to step into now. One, which relates to his passion for music, is to work at the John Coltrane house in Dix Hills. Hodgkiss is a music lover and aficionado for jazz and said he "would like to work in some sort of educational capacity," at the former musician's house. He said he will be putting a plan together to possibly get his foot in the door there. While attending college at SUNYFarmingdale and C.W. Post he worked as a custodian in the district, usually working from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 or midnight. He eventually became the vice president of the custodial union and worked the blue collar job from 1970- 76. "I was getting my double major done, so I needed to go to school and work," he said. "It was convenient to work there. Copiague schools afforded me the opportunity to do that." When a social studies teacher position opened in 1976, he got the job and was able to fulfill one of his earlier dreams of becoming the best teacher he could. He eventually became the chair of the social studies department at the high school, an assistant principal at the middle school and then the principal. "You have to work hard no matter what you do," said Hodgkiss, who graduated from St. John the Baptist in 1970, but attended Copiague from kindergarten until eighth grade. He said the best part of his career was the interaction with the kids and seeing the smiles on their faces.
"TheTown has always been good to me and I tried to make it as interesting as possible for the kids in the classroom," he said. "I'll miss it."
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