Acalanes district staff and parents attended a memorial service in memory of Norm Giannotti on Saturday, October 5.
The service was open to the public, held in the Los Meganos Club House in Brentwood. Giannotti, who retired from the district in the spring, passed away on August 28. According to teacher Jessica Hoffschneider, Giannotti’s passing was sudden.
According to Principal John Walker, Giannotti, a long time AUHSD employee, made a tremendous impact on those he met. An amiable person by nature, he was an invaluable asset in dealing with the various visitors to the attendance office. “He was great at dealing with people, calming them down, or solving problems,” said Walker.
Giannotti began working at Campolindo in 2005 as an attendance technician.
In addition, he could often be found working football and basketball games in his spare time. Whether it was working the field or doing other duties, Giannotti helped out as much as he could. “He was a huge Campo fan,” said Walker.
Walker also credits Giannotti for helping him learn about the “unofficial” history of the school when he began his tenure as principal. Having the ability to learn not just about the procedures and duties, but the culture of the school was helpful to Walker.
Before his stint at Campolindo, Giannotti was already respected and involved in the Lamorinda community. “I knew him from when he chaperoned the choir trips at Acalanes, back when I was a student,” said Hoffschneider.
Both Giannotti and his wife Linda were invested in the well being of the schools, having devoted much time and effort into seeing them flourish, according to Hoffschneider.
