Tuesday, June 17, 2025
After nearly three decades of service in the Rockville Centre school district, deputy superintendent John Murphy is preparing to close a chapter in his professional life and open a new one abroad.
Murphy began his career in Rockville Centre in 1997 as an English teacher at South Side High School. Since then, he has held numerous roles in the district, including International Baccalaureate coordinator, assistant principal and principal of South Side High School, and assistant superintendent for human resources. Last August, the Board of Education appointed him deputy superintendent, which will be his final role before his retirement.
Prior to entering the field of education, Murphy worked in restaurant management. But a shift in priorities and passions drew him to teaching — and ultimately led to a dynamic and influential career within Rockville Centre.
“The lifestyle and the work very much appealed to me, working with kids, dealing with literature,” he said. “I fell in love with the profession when I was doing it, more than before when I gravitated towards it.”
Murphy described his trajectory not as a series of promotions but as career shifts, each grounded in the same foundational principle: teaching and learning.
One of the major pillars of his career was his work with the IB diploma program, which he helped lead and expand in the district. The IB program requires participating students to complete six rigorous courses across at least five subject areas, including English, a world language, history, science, math and a sixth class of their choice, such as art, business or psychology. He deemed it a “lighthouse” of the district that was “opening gates, providing access, revisiting its practices.”
“It was always a significant part of the district,” he said. “Initially intended as a talented and gifted program, it became the best pre-university experience for all students.”
From coordinating a program that enrolled around 400 students to being involved in The Guild of IB Schools of the Northeast, Murphy played a central role in the expansion of the program. But even further than just the IB program, he said his personal development and the district’s evolution were closely intertwined.
“I think both the district and myself were responsive to the challenges and times as they presented them over time, both as an ethical compass in terms of public education, both in terms of putting the needs of the kids first, and both really constantly looking for the best and the most effective opportunities,” he said.
He has worked closely with different educators and administrators over the years, including superintendent Matthew Gaven for the past three years.
“John Murphy has not just served the Rockville Centre Schools; he has enriched them. He has not just taught our students; he has inspired them. He has not just led our staff; he has empowered them,” Gaven said.
Murphy emphasized his pride over the unseen moments and deep relationships throughout his career rather than any singular initiative.
“Oftentimes, the things that are the legacy that we leave, the things that have been the greatest success are not the things that spring to mind,” he said. “They’re very innocent, small, incremental conversations and things that nobody knew existed but mushroomed into something else.”
He highlighted his efforts with students over the years, not knowing which of them have been impacted by his teaching. Zachary Richner, who graduated from South Side High School in 2005 with his IB diploma, was one of those students who felt that Murphy had a “tremendous positive impact” on his life.
“There are a handful of teachers in one’s life that really stand out, that really make you think critically,” he said. “Mr. Murphy certainly was one of those special teachers. His commitment to his students and to the craft of learning were unmatched. He had a tremendous positive impact not only on the district’s trajectory, but also on the lives of thousands of students.”
As he prepares to relocate with his family to Ireland — where one daughter lives, while the other resides in London — he says the community and the people will be what he misses most.
“Twenty-eight years is a long time,” he said. “The day-to-day interactions are the things that I’m going to miss the most.”
With retirement ahead, Murphy is also looking forward to simpler pleasures, like spending his days outdoors and indulging in his longtime passion of running.
“I’m looking forward to re-living my childhood and leaving the house at the crack of dawn, spending the entire day outside and coming in when I need dinner,” he said.
Reflecting on the future of the district, he hopes the Rockville Centre school community recognizes its strengths.
“I hope they understand how successful they are, and that anything that does come with the challenges that lay ahead and there always will be, come from a positive mindset, a growth mindset, not a deficit,” he said. “The problems and the issues that they’re confronted with aren’t because of failures, it’s because they’ve been supremely successful at that which we do.”
