Carpe Diem remembers principal by fighting disease

After recently losing Roger Sciarretta, founding principal of Carpe Diem Collegiate High School, to mantel cell lymphoma, students are looking to raise funds in his memory to beat the disease.

Sciarretta, 66, died Jan. 17 after being diagnosed with lymphoma three weeks prior.

“It is a very difficult time for us all, as Roger was known and loved by everyone,” said Rick Ogston, director and CEO of Carpe Diem Schools. “Roger was instrumental in the lives of numerous students and staff members and will leave his mark on us all. Both his influence and leadership has led Carpe Diem to be nationally known and celebrated as a highly effective, high-performing innovative school.”

Ogston added that Sciarretta, who was principal at Carpe Diem for the past seven years, valued people and relationships above all else. “The students loved him because they could see and feel that he genuinely cared about them.”

Freshman student Vanessa Roman, 14, confirmed that notion.

“Usually when people go to his office to talk, he always had a great sense of humor with everyone and he treated people fairly. He took time from what he was doing to help someone else,” she said.

Carpe Diem School and Desert View Academy are holding their annual Pennies for Patients fundraiser, and this year it is in memory of Sciarretta.

The two schools want to raise $18,000 in hopes of making a difference in fighting the disease for future cases.

“Together, with the memories of all those we have loved and lost, we can — and will — beat this disease,” Ogston said.

To donate to the cause, visit any Wells Fargo branch and make a deposit to the account titled “Carpe Diem Collegiate High School — Pennies for Patients” or write a check made payable to Carpe Diem, with “Pennies for Patients” in the memo section, and send it to Carpe Diem Collegiate High School, 3777 W. 22nd Lane, Yuma, AZ 85364.

Sciarretta is survived by his wife, Joy, of 21 years, four children and seven grandchildren.

His son, David, said that Sciarretta started his career in education about 40 years ago, beginning as an art teacher in Silver Creek, N.Y., in the 1970s. After teaching in various areas, including New York, New Jersey and overseas in England, he moved to San Diego in the late 1980s to the Harriet Tubman Village Charter School, where he eventually became the principal.

Sciarretta moved to Yuma after retiring from education. But Carpe Diem enticed him back into school life and after a year of teaching, he became the principal there as well.

“Wherever he went, he was known as a people person, and people spoke really fondly of him in terms of his abilities to form relationships with people,” his son said.

He added that he was always impressed with his father's knack for staying up with the times at an age when most are not very technologically savvy. Sciarretta went from being someone who didn't know how to turn on a computer to a person leading charter schools using technology to empower students and change their lives.

His son concluded that he hopes the schools are able to reach their fundraising goal to fight lymphoma to honor his father's memory. David said that when he visited the Yuma campus, students were busy rolling quarters and collecting pennies.

“This has really galvanized that area and given the kids something to focus on, and I'd love to see them achieve their goal,” he said. “The outpouring of well wishes and good wishes from the school community was really humbling — he really touched people's lives.”