JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • SPRING 2021 19
Scicchitano engages with students during a
rehearsal for the Junior Ring Mass
Scicchitano's successful wrestling career with the Tigers led to
a nine-year stint as Jesuit's head coach
Scicchitano’s journey to the pinnacle
of academic administration at Jesuit
almost never began. When he was
an eighth grader at Nativity Catholic
School in Brandon, he didn’t want to
attend Jesuit, contradicting his parents’
hopes.
“They wanted me to come here, but
they did not force me,” Scicchitano said.
“I didn’t even take the entrance exam
at Jesuit. I took the entrance exam at a
Catholic school closer to where I grew
up in Plant City.”
His parents, Tony and Jan Scicchitano,
convinced him to at least take a look at
Jesuit, so they attended the Open House.
Their son had never seen a place like it
before.
“I just remember being blown away by
the environment,” Scicchitano said. “It
felt like home just that one night.”
The decision to attend Jesuit led to an
unforgettable educational experience
his freshman year. Until this point in his
academic life, he had never been taught
by a male teacher. Now, he was sitting in
classrooms headed by Kranz (theology),
Richard Peloquin (Latin), Jimmy Egan
(English), John Crumbley (Algebra),
and Neal Goldman (health/PE). It was a
The curriculum was rigorous, but Scicchitano
found even his most challenging
classes enjoyable.
“My best teachers made coming to
school fun,” he said. “I looked forward to
coming to class every day.”
Later, one of his favorite teachers
was Debra Pacheco, for junior year
chemistry. Much later, he and Pacheco
would work together in Jesuit’s academic
administration; for years, Pacheco has
been Jesuit’s Assistant Principal for
Academics.
“I’m not a science person, but I loved
that (chemistry) class,” Scicchitano said.
“She made it so that if you didn't have
success in her classes, it was because
you didn't want to be successful.”
Looking back, he noticed four things
They set high standards. They had a
superior work ethic. They made class
fun. They all had strong faith.
While at Jesuit, Scicchitano excelled
as wrestler. He joined the team after
being cut from the JV football team his
freshman year, and he went on to earn
the State Tournament twice, and served
as team co-captain his senior year.
He moved on to the University of
Florida after high school, where he
earned a B.A. in History with a minor
in Classics (he later attained an M.Ed.
in Education Leadership from Saint Leo
University) and worked for two years
at a weekly newspaper called FYE (For
Your Entertainment) in Gainesville as the
sports editor.
His initial trajectory, again, wasn’t to
come to Jesuit. It was to work as a sports
journalist or public relations employee
for a professional sports team. He
interned with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’
was looking for in a long-term career.
During his senior year at UF, Scicchitano
received a text from his brother, Patrick,
then a senior on the Jesuit wrestling
team, about an opening for a position
teaching history at Jesuit. He decided
to apply just to see where it took him. It
was one of countless applica-
be college graduate.
But he got an interview, and
Jesuit.
“It was almost like Open House
all over again,” Scicchitano said.
“Just being back on campus,
seeing a lot of old teachers, a lot
of familiar faces. It felt like home
again.”
Scicchitano was sitting in his
college apartment when he
received a phone call from Joe
Sabin ’66, then Jesuit’s principal,
with the job offer. He accepted
immediately.
He started as a social studies teacher
and as the head JV wrestling coach
continuously and tediously studying the
content to become the best teacher possible.
teaching and coaching, he began accepting
more responsibilities on multiple fronts.
He eventually took over as wrestling head
coach, helping many Jesuit athletes realize
their potential on the wrestling mat. He
served as head coach for nine seasons. Under
his guidance, the team won eight District
won individual state championships during
Florida Coach of the Year by the National
Wrestling Coaches Association.
head coach and Sal Basile took over, but
Scicchitano remained active with the team
“What I miss about coaching is the competitiveness,
building kids up, helping them
accomplish their goals, and the hard work it
takes,” he said. “It’s hard to replace that.”
He had started teaching AP World History in
There was more responsibility in the home,
daughter Emmie arrived.
Scicchitano realized that to get through the
relentless rigor of being an Ignatian educator
with many added responsibilities, he would
need to focus on the same four things exem-
Having a staunch work ethic. Making work
fun. Keeping a strong faith.
“When I was a young teacher here, I just
tried to fall back on those things when I
struggled,” he said. “In hindsight, it’s easy to
tell that my best teachers all had their faith as
their anchor.”