Daniel Sharkovitz, the Vineyard’s beloved ‘Shark’ and English teacher at the regional high school, died on February 16.
Daniel Sharkovitz, the Vineyard’s beloved ‘Shark’ and longtime English teacher at the regional high school, died on February 16. He was 68 years old.
Mr. Sharkovitz taught at the high school for 38 years, retiring in 2017. During that time he won numerous awards for his teaching and his advising of the high school newspaper, The View. He also left an indelible mark on countless generations of Vineyard students as a teacher and chair of the English Department, and was known for teaching his classes with Hamlet in one hand and the children’s book, Katy and the Big Snow, in the other.
In a 2017 interview with the Gazette he explained it this way: “Sometimes when kids move into high school, their love of reading. . . I don’t know maybe they get busy with life. I like to start off a literature class with a book like this. . . It helps them move back, at least in their memories, to a time when I hope more of them really loved books.”
Mr. Sharkovitz graduated from Northeastern University and after college taught inmates at a house of correction in Boston and led a poetry workshop for years at the Stone Soup Gallery. He had never heard of Martha’s Vineyard but on a whim he came to the Island to interview for an English teacher position. He overslept and missed his breakfast and so during the interview he pulled out a cucumber and began eating it. That cucumber was the key to his job offer, he said.
“It was between you and another really wonderful candidate,” then-English teacher John Morelli told him. “The deciding factor was this, a cucumber. We had never seen that before. And we’re thinking, if he can interest the three of us on a hot summer day, maybe he can be an interesting teacher for the students.”
And for the next 38 years Mr. Sharkovitz did just that, channeling his own bad experiences as a high school student into good experiences for his students. Talking with the Gazette in 2017 he said he had been a troublemaker in high school but that a few teachers had taken an interest in him, in particular a teacher who used his own money to buy books for students who couldn’t afford their own.
“Those moments where you run into people who believe in things that matter, who care about you and others. . . yeah they’re paid, teachers are paid, but he wasn’t paid to buy books for us,” Mr. Sharkovitz said.
In retirement Mr, Sharkovitz became a student of writing himself and published his first book, a series of short stories called A World of Good.
“I like to write stories that capture that fuzziness of the reality in which we live,” he said in a 2019 interview with the Gazette. “Virginia Woolf said she loved to explore the inner workings of human consciousness. I feel the same way. It’s what I enjoy.”
At a retirement acknowledgment event, one of Mr. Sharkovitz’s students, Willa Vigneault, spoke about her admiration for her high school teacher and newspaper advisor.
“Dan Sharkovitz is a man with a personality larger than life, or at the very least larger than himself,” she said. “He is himself openly and unapologetically. It is that exuberant personality and clear passion for what he teaches that has inspired his coworkers and his students, and forever ingrained himself as the one and only Dan Sharkovitz in their minds."
Mr. Sharkovitz is survived by his four children: Kristen Sharkovitz of Boston and her partner Andrew McCourt; Matthew Sharkovitz and his wife Vanessa Czarnecki of Vineyard Haven; Marina Sharkovitz of Edgartown and her partner Steve Correll; and Christopher Aring of West Tisbury; as well as sister Barbara Kuczmiec and her husband Stanley of Medway and numerous nieces and nephews and extended family members.
There will be graveside service at St. Joseph's Cemetery, 58 Oakland street, in Medway on Saturday, February 22 at 1 p.m. A celebration of life on the Vineyard will take place a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation be made to the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School Memorial Scholarship Fund. Checks should be addressed to the Martha's Vineyard Regional High School, c/o Marylee Schroeder, with Daniel Sharkovitz in the memo line, and mailed to 4 Pine street, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.
Comments
A mentor in every way. Rest
T Bone Oak BluffsA mentor in every way. Rest in peace.
Here is something people
Fireballer On IslandHere is something people probably don't know. Back in the late 80's Shark took on a job nobody else wanted and had no experience doing. He did it so the students could keep doing something they loved and wouldn't be able to without filling the position. He was MVRHS's baseball coach. Thank you shark. RIP.
I did not know Mr. Sharkovitz
Pia Webster EDGARTOWNI did not know Mr. Sharkovitz, though I feel I did through the pages of the Gazette the past 30 years. And so I wept when I read this. The Island has lost a good, dear soul.
The Mr.Morelli and Shark
Beka Schulman ElDeiry VHThe Mr.Morelli and Shark went way beyond English studies . They tapped and tapped at our soul until they unleashed prose from each one of us. Shark saw us all as just kids,struggling in our own teenage ways , individually and collectively, with the task of inspiring our thoughts and putting those sentiments on paper. He pointed in his teachings, that the human condition is basically unchanged . He was the most empathetic, supportive and in touch teacher I ever had. Let his legacy serve to encourage other teachers to find the good is all students, even those who challenge the system and the rules and think outside the box.
Beka that was beautiful put.
Nancy Bruguiere Morris Hingham, MABeka that was beautifully put. Sharky left his mark on each student. What a legacy he has left. I am so saddened by his passing. He was one of those old faces I yearned to bump into when visiting the island.
Sharkovitz had tremendous
Thom Didato Richmond, VASharkovitz had tremendous impact on generations of MVRHS students, both inside and outside the classroom. He made it fun to learn -- and he will be remembered/missed.
Awww Danny,I am going to be
Andrea Galvin Santa Cruz CaliforniaAwww Danny,I am going to be forever grateful to you for encouraging me to write "what I knew" for our faculty magazine... it led to my first published essay. You and collaborated on a few projects... Thank you for your friendship back in my first days at MVRHS.
Shark, I owe you an eternal
Max Butler LA/AqShark, I owe you an eternal debt. Thank you for pushing me to a standard I didn't know I was even capable of.
The AP English community
Jodi Rice Toronto, CanadaThe AP English community mourns the loss of someone who mentored so many in person and online. I enjoyed chatting with him whenever I ran into him at the AP Language exam reading, and so many of us are sharing recollections of his great enthusiasm and love for what he did.
Mr. Sharkovitz was on of my
Kathleen Dougherty Los Angeles, CAMr. Sharkovitz was on of my favorite teachers in high school, and I can count those "favorites" on less than one hand. Specifically, I credit him with my love of Shakespeare. His passion for the Bard's written word was infectious and it deeply resonated with this 15-year old student back in the early 80's. However, my most favorite memories of Mr. Sharkovitz were of our Friday morning "water cooler" conversations in my homeroom with Mr. Morelli. Every Friday morning the 3 of us would congregate around Mr. Morelli's desk to discuss Thursday night's episode of "Hill Street Blues." At that time, "Hill Street" was a new prime time cop drama by creator/writer/producer Steven Bochco, who basically changed the face of prime time television back in the early 80's, through great writing, flawed characters, gritty art direction and cinematography. Mr. Sharkovitz would bound into our classroom every Friday morning ready to discuss last night's episode with such passion and excitement; I understood it and shared in it. We would talk about our favorite scenes/moments from "last night's show" - those mornings made me feel so alive. Great storytelling is all about the human condition, and Mr. Sharkovitz honored that truth through his teaching and his love of great writing. My Mother recently sent me his book "A World of Good"...what an apropos title for an author/teacher who loved the world of storytelling. Thank you, Mr. Sharkovitz; RIP, you will never be forgotten!
Poem for Dan
Jeff Agnoli EdgartownPoem for Dan
Here's to you, Shark,
to your slightly manic charm,
your boyish gap-toothed smile
beneath an explorer's mustache
Here's to your uniform of white
shirt and tie and jeans
with the only change
a new pair of sneakers each year
And to your working man's hands
at home holding Hamlet
or grading papers
or pitching a softball
To the many waves of students
who found themselves in pages
read because of you or in their own
words written because of you
To keeping true to your own course
a curriculum of rigor and humor
crafted with a master's skill
and an ageless poet's heart
So here's to you, Dan, a father,
seeker, joker, friend, and mentor,
an ambassador to literature's realms,
and, truly gifting this world, a teacher.
-Jeff Agnoli
Beautiful, Jeff...thank you
Kathleen Dougherty Los Angeles, CABeautiful, Jeff...thank you for crafting & posting this. Wow, he must be grinning that classic grin of his WIDE from the other side, knowing truly how many lives he touched in his lifetime. A life well lived, I’d say...
Oh Danny, we shared many
Marge Harris OAK BLUFFSOh Danny, we shared many years of teaching together at MVRHS. We always enjoyed a laugh together or a smile or sometimes shared a concern or care. We usually agreed on an issue and sometimes we would get fired up and march down to Greg Scotten's office to state our concerns ---joined usually by Ben Kindzia, Barbara Murphy or Greg Joannidi.. All of us shared in our love of teaching! We absolutely loved our profession and our high school kids!
You will be sorely missed but we will remember you agian and again and smile! Thanks Danny for being a part of our lives.
Funny, energetic, dedicated,
Julian Wise West TisburyFunny, energetic, dedicated, a tough grader who encouraged you to dig down and give the extra effort to succeed- farewell to an A+ teacher. .
I am heartbroken to hear
Andrew Woodruff West TisburyI am heartbroken to hear about Dan’s passing. I was one of his earliest students in 1979. I will always be grateful for his efforts with helping me catch up on a slow start with my writing skills. He was encouraging and enthusiastic with his teaching and never forgot my work as we grew older. He taught my children in recent years, both of whom have far exceeded my grasp and capacity to put many of the complexities and beauty of life into words. I‘m grateful they had the opportunity to learn from such a passionate and committed teacher.
I will miss Dan dearly. The Vineyard community was blessed to have Dan for so long! My thoughts go out to his family. With love and appreciation.
To Be or Not to Be
Jackie Burgoyne Somerville, MATo Be or Not to Be
February 17, 2020
Dear Shark,
To be, or not to be, that is the question. Today I learned that your body is not to be. I had been unaware of your question, of your illness. To learn of your death came as a shock (perhaps one of the thousand natural shocks), and yet, I find comfort today to sit down and find a space to do what you helped inspire me, and many others to do: to create; to be.
Anyone who knew you, knew you were always being. As a teacher, as a colleague, as an adviser, as a coach, a teammate and as a friend, your M.O was to be. And yet, today, even in your physical not being, you should see how alive your memory is, Shark. You left a big splash. The ripples go on for miles, for years, and generations-- Yes, they even go off-island! The swell and spill of writing and memories of you pours out from so many today, all because of your unremitting commitment to be. And to those who did not know you, or perhaps upon hearing the combination of words Shark and Martha’s Vineyard, think of a well-known film, I say: wrong Shark. Shark, at times you were equally as ominous, and like the movie, one of the greatest (teachers) of all time.
I can think of one other person that knew teenagers and Shakespeare better than Shakespeare, and that was you, Shark. You listened to the drama, made space for tragedy (sometimes, you were our biggest one), and you laughed with us in our comedy of constant errors. You knew well about patient merit, yet encouraged us to hurry up and do it, or at least, for God’s sake, write about it. In a sea of troubles, you were the ferry that did not stop running. You lived your values: From the Red Sox, to your love of teaching English literature. You made the slings and arrows of the day-to-day fewer. In high school you expanded our horizons from one pond to another, with a trip to England. It was an experience unparalleled: New Year’s Eve at the Hard Rock Cafe in London, a snow-covered Stonehenge, and a week's worth of performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
In our junior year, one writing assignment you gave us was to write about going home. We were to think about what it would be like, after 40 years of being away, to be returning home to MV. Today, this writing assignment sticks with me, Shark. I think about your going home, and what is it like, after 68 years away? Who did you see on your boat, Shark? John Morelli? Ted Williams? Virginia Woolf? We will miss you dearly. Your joy, your spirit; you were a mentor on life for so many of us. You Shark, were no small fish. May you continue to be, and forever, rest in peace.
In deep gratitude,
Jackie Burgoyne
MVRHS graduate ‘02
A good guy. Dan was such a
Paul Condlin EdgartownA good guy. Dan was such a nice mentor to my kids. Sorry to hear of his passing. Dan like me came to the Vineyard from Boston suburbia. The MV Times reminisced about his old school days... "when some of his male students would disappear during hunting season or the Derby, and his perplexity that everyone else seemed to think this was par for the course." I understood Dan. PC
I'll never forget Dan's
Virginia Munro EdgartownI'll never forget Dan's presentation at the Edgartown Library for the series "Islander's Read" in 2016. He spoke on his beloved "Hamlet" and the room was packed with his former and current students. Of course, it became a love-fest for Shark, with the admiration from the audience palpable. He'll be remembered for his teaching, his caring, and his part in maturing hundreds of Island students into thinking adults. Sincere condolences to his family.
He sent a link to me to video
Teresa Smith Phoenix, Az.He sent a link to me to video of that event. So glad to share in it from so far away.
Mr. Sharkovitz was an amazing
Lizzie Kelleher Los AngelesMr. Sharkovitz was an amazing teacher. I took his creative writing class my sophomore year and was amazed by the way he taught, and loved, poetry. I began writing constantly due to his encouragement, and he was the first teacher to ever tell me I could make something out of it. He submitted my writing to publications, wrote my college recommendation letters, and let me sneak on the computer during Saturday School so I could write. He was critical in the best way possible, and I know every student that semester was secretly excited to come to class. I went on to study creative writing in college, and when I moved out to LA to work in the entertainment industry he connected me with other Vineyard kids out there. I use the knowledge of story he taught in my career everyday, and I can't thank him enough for sharing his passion and skill. Mr. Sharkovitz will be missed.
Was so sad to learn Mr.
Jonathan Mone Los AngelesWas so sad to learn Mr. Sharkovitz passed away. His love for literature was infectious, and has stayed with me to this day. Feel very lucky to have had him as a teacher. This article and the comments from all of his fans shows what a special guy he was. A true Vineyard character in the best best way. He will be sorely missed and never forgotten.
I was deeply saddened to hear
Ryan Matta Brooklyn, NYI was deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dan Sharkovitz. As my MVRHS English teacher Shark made an indelible impression on me. He brought a warmth, humor and infectious sense of positive encouragement that served to grow my love of reading and writing and expand my view of their possibility for creative and personal growth. Shark helped me hone tools of comprehension and expression I use everyday, in my personal and professional lives. He helped turn the subject of English, into a joyful life long pursuit. As a practical matter of the job of a public school teacher, this is no small thing and for my money, Shark was a great one. It makes me happy to know that so many students benefited from his teaching over his long career. I know he helped direct and shape my world view for the better. I count myself lucky to have been his student, a great teacher. Rest in Peace.
Mr. Sharkovitz was first, my
Bobby Mongillo Vineyard Haven, MVMr. Sharkovitz was first, my chess club coach Freshmen year and then in my Senior year of High School, my English teacher. He always had an intoxicating energy about him and it always made me want to learn even more. I'd run into him from time to time on the island after High School and he'd always be interested in how my life was going. If I was still involved in playing chess and Graphic Design..Rest in Peace Mr. Sharkovitz..:-)
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