Darren Raymar: A wellspring of kindness and charity

Last year, Rockville Centre resident Andrea Moore was unable to give her family a proper Christmas.

Her son, Teddy, who is battling hydrocephalus — a buildup of fluid in the brain — had undergone four surgeries in the first three weeks of December. Moore had taken a break from work thanks to the Family Medical Leave Act, but bills were beginning to pile up around the holidays.

That’s when Darren Raymar, the principal of the William S. Covert School, stepped in.

The Raymar Children’s Fund, which he created, helped Moore and her family with donations in their time of need. “Every day there were more checks in my mailbox,” Moore recalled. “It was unbelievable.”

That wasn’t all. “They bought us a Christmas tree, and then they took my son and daughter out on a sleigh with Santa,” Moore said. “They bought gifts for Christmas, because we didn’t get any shopping done.”

The Moores are just one of the many families that Raymar and the RCF have helped in the 10 years since the fund was created.

Raymar was born to Janice and Ken Raymar in 1968. He spent his first few years in Jamaica Estates, Queens, then the family moved to Harrington Park, N.J., when Darren’s younger brother, Brandon, was born.

Growing up, Raymar never planned on being an educator. His first year at the University of Maryland, he majored in broadcast journalism because he wanted to be the next host of “The Today Show.” Then he switched to political science, planning to eventually become a lawyer. “But I didn’t think the world needed another one,” he said.

After his college graduation he was unsure of what to do, but his father pointed out how much he loved kids, and persuaded him to go into teaching.

Raymar, 47, came to Rockville Centre 17 years ago as a fresh-faced administrator. He had been a teacher for four years before he became an assistant principal in the Three Village School District in East Setauket. After three years there, he became the principal at Covert. At the time, he was the youngest principal on Long Island.

“It was a very traditional type of school prior to him coming there,” said Superintendent Dr. William Johnson. “Not that he doesn’t honor tradition, but he started his own. What he’s tried to incorporate into the life at Covert is the fact that life can be enjoyed at the same time that you can challenge kids to be learners. It is truly a fun place to be.”

When they were kids, Raymar and his brother spent every summer at camp, and they loved it. “He runs his school almost like a camp,” Brandon said. “I’ve never seen a school in a community like this where everyone is so involved, and everyone plays a part in making the school such a wonderful place.”

Everyone who works with Raymar says he makes their lives more enjoyable. “Because Darren understands that a job is a part of your life, he makes a place that you want to go to,” said Susan DeRosa, a fourth-grade teacher at Covert who started at the same time as Raymar. The two met on her first day and became fast friends. “He wants our school to always be a place of family,” DeRosa said.

Raymar has also made Covert more enjoyable for students. He has brought the Circus Project and, more famously, Mad Hot Ballroom, to the school. Students love them.

“As a teacher, I see some kids struggling to read and write every day,” DeRosa said. “And they go to Mad Hot Ballroom or the Circus Project, and all of a sudden they become the shining star, because that’s their strength. And it’s amazing to see that sometimes. He truly believes in multiple intelligences.”

She added, “He sees that every child has some greatness in them and pulls it out in many different ways. He can make a child shine.”

When he came to the district, he lived in New York City. Now he lives in Long Beach. But he still manages to make people feel at home in Rockville Centre. Part of that is also through the work he does with the Rockville Centre Education Foundation, which provides programs and educational opportunities to students district-wide. Raymar has been a member of the Board of Directors for years, and was recently honored by the organization.

Above all, it is his philanthropy that sets him apart. He had the idea to create a children’s fund 10 years ago, and its board of directors — which comprises Covert staff, parents and community members — decided to name it after him. Over the years, the Raymar Children’s Fund has collected and redistributed more than $100,000 to needy residents and charities.

The fund does more than just give away money, helping those in the Covert community — and Rockville Centre in general — who are in need. They may have medical bills piling up, like the Moores, or they may be struggling to recover after a devastating fire. Raymar has helped buy food for families at Thanksgiving, given gifts to children during the holidays and organized school supply drives to make sure every student at Covert has the tools he or she needs to succeed.

He doesn’t keep track of exactly how many people the charity has benefited. For him, it’s not about the numbers, it’s about being able to help people.

“It’s got to be over a hundred families,” he said. “Not to mention the organizations like March of Dimes, Jorge Pasada Foundation and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Over 300 people probably, if not more.

“It’s the thing I’m probably most proud of as my tenure as principal,” he added.

His years at Covert have been marked by his desire to give back and to awaken that desire in his students. He encourages them to be philanthropic, and tries to teach even the youngest kids how rewarding giving to others can be.

“Each grade level and class is required to do something — whether it’s raise money or write cards for veterans, everyone has to give,” he said. “We teach kids you have to help others, no matter what it is.”

“You can’t get a guy who’s more philanthropic,” DeRosa said. “When he first came to Covert, he used the word philanthropic. He said, ‘I want everyone to come up with a grade-level activity that you can do that shares and pays it forward to another community or person.’ Every grade level, every year, has come up with philanthropic activities.

“In kindergarten, they now have the Kindergarten Toy Drive,” DeRosa continued. “Second grade raises money for the March of Dimes and the Relay for Life. In fourth grade we do the Thanksgiving Food Drive that we run for the district, and give to Mayor Murray and the parish of St. Agnes.

“All of this comes from the top,” she added. “We come up with the ideas as teachers, but Darren is the one that says, ‘I really want you to put yourself out there and do this for other people.’”

For his never-ending kindness and generosity, his philanthropy and the way he strives to make everyone’s day better, the Herald is proud to name Darren Raymar its 2015 Person of the Year.