Mr. Nick Saracino

Mr. Saracino enjoys spending time at Parker, hanging out with his kids, and designing the Parker website. He also had a creative childhood life and a hard-working college life before he came to Parker.

Mr. Saracino got interested in design in sixth grade. He grew up with a darkroom in his house because his dad was a dentist. Mr. Saracino started using his dad’s camera to take pictures of his school and learned how to develop black and white photos in his darkroom. The older he got, the more he noticed design elements around him. He started drawing flat landscapes of the city, but he never planned on using his design skills in school. He was a very good typist in school. He started to realize he could combine his typing with photos. He could write the copy and then add the pictures. Mr. Saracino combined all of these skills he has accrued throughout his life to do the work of several people in one. "Nowadays, with a little skill and the right tools, one person can do a whole movie," he said.

When he got into college, Mr. Saracino started working for design agencies in the city and bought his own digital camera to design ads. He learned how to work with very talented people. “I can always be criticized, but I can be a good partner,” he said. At the design agencies he worked for, they would talk about clients' needs. They started looking through events and interesting things online and then writing articles about them. One time, Mr. Saracino was chosen to persuade kids to pick Crayola over the other crayon companies. He then started working at Parker.

When he was just 24 years old, Mr. Saracino began working part-time at Parker. After a while, he asked for a full-time job from the principal at the time, Dr. Monroe, and his request was granted. Mr. Saracino said it was very different for him to work here, especially considering the fact that he had attended an all-boys school during his childhood. Mr. Saracino’s father had told him he could become an advertiser (he got a double major out of that), but Dr. Frank and Dr. Monroe inspired him to start working at Parker. When he first began working at Parker as a photographer, he was the only one here with a digital camera. There was a Parker parent who came up with an idea for a school website. Mr. Saracino immediately began working on the project.

Mr. Saracino has a really important job in our school. In his job he does many things. One thing he does is write the "This Week at Parker" newsletters that are sent to everyone in the Parker community, including students, parents, and faculty. In the newsletters, he documents important events that the school should know about, like the Egyptian Museum or Upper School robotics team competitions. Mr. Saracino also takes pictures for the newsletters. Another part of his job is to take pictures at MX. Challenges sometimes occur while Mr. Saracino is taking photos and editing the website. Not all the photos he takes and the edits he makes will end up in the final product. Mr. Saracino and the rest of the public relations staff will choose which Morning Exs to attend and document. Some MXs take priority over others because of time constraints. Mr. Saracino doesn't often go to MXs that would be better to hear than to see, such as slam poetry performances. An MX like an orchestral performance may be really beautiful to hear, but it is also really good to get a picture of. Robotics MXs, where students are testing out robots that they have built, can make for good pictures as well. He has to decide which MXs could be good for people to see with pictures, which is not a judgement on the quality of the presentation. For example, he would choose to take pictures at an orchestra MX where everyone is wearing white and black. He tries to take pictures of events that will make other people interested in coming to Parker.

Mr. Saracino also works with the Parker website and makes it fun and interesting. When he first came to Parker, a mom ran the website. When Mr. Saracino wanted to make a change, he had to fax it to her. Now, a company runs the website, but Mr. Saracino takes all the pictures and writes the copy. If a change needs to be made, the company lets Mr. Saracino and his team know and gives him a list of options like A, B, or C. Mr. Saracino says that the final choice is usually a blend of all the choices. He also creates advertisements for Parker. Mr. Saracino finds this easy because the school has a product people want: teaching kids. Also, he designs the banners that are displayed outside of the school. He works very closely with Mr. Nick Robinson.

Once, before the auditorium was renovated, some kids were getting ready to take a holiday picture. Then, one of the moms told the kids to get closer together for a good photo. All of a sudden, they fell into the orchestra pit! Dr. Frank, Mr. Jones and Mr. Saracino attempted to hold back their laughter, as the families whose children fell down would not think of the moment as humorous. (Thankfully, no one was hurt.)

Whenever Mr. Saracino has free time, he enjoys spending most of it with his two daughters. One child is in second grade and the other is in kindergarten. He especially enjoys going to places such as Navy Pier and the Children’s Museum. He also goes to playgrounds and sushi restaurants with his daughters. When he wants to stay at home, he likes to read Harry Potter books on the porch with his kids.

Mr. Saracino notes there have been many changes at Parker over the years. A balcony was added to the auditorium, and the seats were changed. The turf field was once upon a time a grass field. The playground used to be very different, and the lobby was a lot smaller.

Mr. Saracino enjoys working at Parker. He ended up becoming a photographer because of his design skills, his childhood darkroom and the people who inspired him. He loves spending his free time with his daughters. Mr. Saracino enjoys designing and editing the Parker website. He loves taking pictures with his digital camera and working with other talented people. This is Mr. Saracino's life in and out of Parker.