Martin Van Buren High School principal retires
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
After serving seven years as
principal of Martin Van Buren
High School Queens Village,
Sam Sochet said his final goodbye
to teachers, staff members
and students on Aug. 30 when he
officially retired.
Sochet, who became principal
of Van Buren in July 2012,
vowed to revive the struggling
school that was in danger of a
state-imposed takeover. Following
its removal in December 2017
from the list of schools to be shuttered
by the New York City Department
of Education, Sochet
credited the teachers, staff and
community, which he says
was a team effort to transform
Van Buren.
“The school was really struggling
and I was given a window
in which to show some improvement
so that they didn’t either
shut the school down or strip the
school,” said Sochet, who has
been a New York City educator
for 31 years. “I focused on three
blocks: community, culture and
learning/teaching during the
first couple of years. Teachers
face a very difficult task these
days and our teachers rose to
the occasion and that’s why we
succeeded. They’re to be commended
for it.”
The new Martin Van Buren
consists of a DNA Lab for students
to conduct Science research
at the highest level, an affiliation
with the space agency NASA,
partnerships with law firms and
a brand new courtroom to support
its law program (that’s still
under partial construction), and
a new medical examining room
for its health careers program,
according to Sochet.
Under Sochet, the school’s
dwindling graduation rate of 46
percent back then increased to 80
percent this past year, he said.
“We’re not a subpar school
anymore. We’re a strong improved
school,” Sochet said. “It
took a long time to get all of these
things in place and when I saw
it coming into place, I said ‘you
know what, it’s time.’”
While Sochet attended graduate
school at Colorado State University
as a researcher studying
plant disease, he was also
teaching college students — a
Councilman Barry Grodenchik, Interrim Acting Principal Tracy
Martinez, former Principal Sam Sochet and Assemblyman David
Weprin. Photo courtesy of Martin Van Buren High School
profession he enjoyed and decided
to pursue a career path as
an educator.
During his final year as
principal of Van Buren, Sochet
received the High School Principals’
Association’s Leadership
and Excellence in Education
Award in June.
“It was humbling because I
was so surprised by it, but very
pleased because not only did I
get recognition, but so did the
school,” Sochet said. “It was good
for me personally, but it was also
good for the school and the community
deserves something like
that too. There’s a new MVB and
people should start to understand
that and accept it — let’s
move away from that past perception.
It was time for MVB to
recognized also, not just me.”
Sochet also received proclamations
from City Councilman
Barry Grodenchik and State Assemblyman
David Weprin for his
contributions to the community.
“I never looked at it as me
doing it all. You have to have a
team,” Sochet said. “I was the
leader but I really depended on
a lot of people to do good work
with the leadership group,
kids, the families. There were
a lot of people that supported
the turnaround.”
Though his transition to
retirement occurred in June,
Sochet decided to stay throughout
the summer until Aug.
30 — a strange day for him
packing up his belongings and
heading home.
Now in retirement, Sochet
says he’s “just chillin.”
“I’m trying to act like my
students when they’re taking it
easy,” Sochet said. “I loved being
with students, saying hi to
teachers and seeing how they’re
doing. With my APs, the kids,
the safety agents, janitors…it’s
a whole family and it’s not easy
leaving that behind.”
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