Tammy Sampognaro did not have a surprise party for her 50th birthday, but nonetheless she got a big surprise.
In October of last year, Sampognaro was approached about becoming the interim principal at Riser Elementary, the school she taught at for her entire 28-year career.
“It was my ultimate goal,” Sampognaro said, adding that she wasn’t sure it would work out this way. “I thought a couple of times a door would open, and it did not, and so I’m so thankful now because this is where I would like to have been.”
Sampognaro started at Riser Elementary in 1995 as a fifth grade teacher. She taught mostly math and went back to get her Master’s in Special Education with an emphasis on Gifted & Talented.
She split time teaching math at Riser Elementary and Riser Middle, both Title I schools, in a very underprivileged neighborhood.
“The challenge is outweighed by the rewards,” Sampognaro said. “It may not be an academic reward always. We do a lot of unofficial counseling and talking and listening and hugging and holding while they cry sometimes.
“A lot of these children this school is their stability so you have to be on game when you walk inside in the morning.”
Sampognaro added that it’s not for everyone. Teachers either leave after their first year, or they end up staying for their entire careers. Sampognaro knew it was the school for her even before administration became part of her career plan.
“You never know what you’re going to encounter at this school,” Sampognaro said. “There’s something different every day, but you’re making a difference, and you can see that.”
After spending the past school year as the interim principal, Sampognaro officially became the principal of Riser Elementary earlier this summer. It is not a title she takes lightly. Riser is home to her. It’s been a part of all the major moments in her life from getting married to having her children, with her youngest three coming through Riser.
Her daughter, Marissa, now majoring in psychology at Louisiana Tech, comes back throughout the year and leads the KC (Kindness & Compassion) Club.
“We have a lot of people who come back to help,” Sampognaro said. “We have a teacher retiring this year who is going to come back and tutor. For this population, you would think you have adults leaving, but you don’t.”
That is why Sampognaro never makes the job about her or one individual. It’s a team at Riser, and she knows it takes everyone to make a difference.
“Our motto this year and from now on will be ‘Riser Team,’” Sampognaro said. “Our bus drivers, our cafeteria workers, our custodial staff, our Paras are all equal because we are trying to teach our kids to respect all adults – not just your classroom teacher. You have to make all the adults an integral part to make this work.”
Now that the job of principal is officially hers, Sampognaro is focusing on getting back to the basics. During her interim year, she noticed the big transition from 2nd to 3rd grade, and then 3rd to 4th grade.
“It’s not ‘on-paper’ goals, but our Instructional Leadership Team is going to make sure every child that comes out of our 2nd grade hall and goes to 3rd grade can write a complete sentence – and that’s a lot for some of these children,” Sampognaro said. “We are going to make sure every child that comes out of 3rd grade can multiply because you cannot teach fractions in 4th grade if you don’t know how to multiply.”
There are a lot of other goals that aren’t on paper either. For Sampognaro, most of those goals are written on her heart.
“You have to be the warm smile and say, ‘Good morning,’” Sampognaro said. “You have to put positive spins on it because it’s so important. I’ve learned this with my own kids. If I gripe and fuss at my kids about something they didn’t do that morning, they’re going to carry that with them the whole day. It’s real important that we start the day greeting the children with a smile and a hug.”
THE SAMPOGNARO FILE
1995: Riser Elementary, 5th Grade Math Teacher
2001-2006: Riser Elementary, Gifted & Talented Math
2006-2009: Riser Elementary, Gifted & Talented Math and Curriculum Coordinator
2009-2022: Riser Elementary, Full-Time Curriculum Coordinator
2022-2023: Riser Elementary, Interim Principal
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