Libano brings energy, experience to Davies principal job

LINCOLN – Jose Libano decided some months ago he wanted something different in his life as an educator, so when he saw back in the fall that the William M. Davies Jr. Career & Technical High School was searching for a principal, he believed he may have found just what he was looking for.

More than intrigued, he applied for the position, but didn’t think anything would come of it.

That’s why he was surprised when Davies Director/District Superintendent Mary Watkins phoned him on Dec. 11 and informed him the Board of Trustees had chosen him the new principal. He couldn’t believe his good fortune.

“You know, I’ve only been here five days, but I love it!” said Libano, a native of Dallas, Tex. but one who has lived with his wife, Yvonne, and pet pug Frankie

in Cumberland for 20-plus years. “The kids are awesome, the staff and teachers have been welcoming and super-friendly; they’ve opened their classrooms and invited me in to see the work they’re doing.

“Our kids are beyond proud of that work in all fields, the programs they’re in and the skills they’re learning. Pride permeates this building, and that’s a learning environment you hope to have uin any school.

“When I first saw what Davies was looking for, it intrigued me; I immediately thought, ‘I’ve never done anything like this,” he continued. “This is a school that is a career and technical educational high school, and I thought this would be another premier challenge. You know, I actually visited Davies as a young educator in 2001 for a week, and I recall being so impressed with all of the different programs and how police and respectful the kids were.

“I never could have imagined that I would end up back here 22-23 years later as the principal, but I’m glad I did.”

Libano, 49, brings a wealth of experience in the teaching and administration categories to this new position. After graduating from high school in 1992, he decided to further his academic career at Providence College, where he also represented the Friars’ men’s varsity cross-country and track programs.

He graduated with a Bachelor’s of Mathematics and Education in 1996 and immediately began teaching math at Attleboro High. Three years later, he moved on to West Warwick to do the same, and during his final year there, he earned his Master’s of Secondary School Administration from PC.

After that degree, he became the assistant principal at Dighton-Rehoboth Regional, and four years later, he chose to become the head honcho at Sharon High. He spent well over 12 years there, but then something unsettling happened.

“My ending in Sharon was not the traditional ending; it was complicated,” he said.

Libano, who eventually earned a Doctorate in Educational Administration from Boston College, chose to take some time away from education for a while.

“It got to a point where I knew I wanted to get back to it,” he said. “You know, we all have some challenges in our lives, and the Sharon situation was unexpected, beyond my control, but it taught me a lot of life lessons. One is, when you have a setback, you’ve got to find your way out of it, and I did. I found my way to Smithfield High as the assistant principal for two years and the interim principal the past six months.

“That’s when the Davies position presented itself, and here I am.”

During his stint with the Sentinels, he used his intense energy and experience to support students, families and faculty as they navigate the opportunities and challenges in front of them. To that end, Libano believes it’s important to foster a safe and positive school environment, to seize the moment each day, to learn from mistakes and to define success in personal and meaningful ways.

For the past decade, he also has worked with graduate students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees at B.C. As a senior instructor and Coordinator of Principal Licensure Preparation, he guides students through a year-long practicum in the principalship.

Licensed as a principal in multiple states, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and New York, his familiarity with the different licensure requirements has also been very helpful to students pursuing work as school administrator throughout the Northeast.

“When Mary called me to say I was going to be appointed, I was beyond thrilled because I would have the opportunity to come to Davies, learn about all of its different programs and take on a new professional challenge working at a CTE high school,” Libano said. “My whole career, I’ve worked in more traditional high school which is geared toward college.

“Not that the kids at Davies aren’t going to college because they are, but much of the focus for a lot of students is what their careers are going to be and developing the skills necessary to contribute to the future of work in Rhode Island and beyond. It’s not the focus of a traditional high school, where it’s like, ‘OK, get your graduation requirements, head off to college and go find yourself.’

“The kids here, I think, are finding themselves a little earlier; they know what they want. That’s something I’ve never had or seen as a professional educator, and it’s intriguing. I love having the opportunity to be in the kind of environment and seeing our students, see the light bulbs going off in their heads. Like I said, it seems to happen earlier here than what you might find in a non-CTE school.”

While Watkins is taking more of a superintendent’s role now that Davies has a $44 million renovation project in the works – it’s necessary she has more time to work with RIDE and state legislators, etc. – Libano is serving as the head of the day-to-day operations.

“I’m interacting with students, with families, with teachers and staff as a building principal would,” he said. “I haven’t been here long, but I’m loving it!”