Sam Rotolo believed strongly that nobody, not even a teacher, should try to take away a child's dignity. Even when that child had to face discipline for breaking a rule at Batavia Junior High School, of which Rotolo was principal for 23 years.

"There's a saying that says, 'Kids don't care how much you know, they want to know how much you care.' It's so true at the middle school level," he said in a 2001 Daily Herald interview. "They're testing their independence, starting to mature, but they're still kids. And they need to be kids." Rotolo died Sunday at 89.

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Source: http://www.dailyherald.com/