Heavyweight boxer Nick “The Stoneman” Firtha traded in boxing gloves for pencils and rulers when he recently became ” Principal of the Day” at St. Joseph School in Randolph.
Firtha, a St. Joe alumnus, acquired the duty of Principal from friends Larry and Lisa Mudd of Mogadore. The Mudds purchased the “Principal’s Pass” during the school’s annual dinner auction held this past November. Nick learned of the pass and expressed interest in being the Principal and honoring former 8th grade teacher and retiring principal, Carolyn Martin.
At the beginning of the school day, Firtha made the customary morning announcements over the school’s P.A. system. He then visited each classroom and talked to the students about his boxing career and gave out autographs. In addition, he showed the students equipment used in boxing such as his gloves and uniform.
Firtha attended St. Joseph through grade 8 after which he spent three years at Waterloo High School and then graduated from Southeast. He started boxing at the age of 20 and is the third “Stoneman” from his family. His late father, Joe, was the original Stoneman and a close family friend, Joe DeSalvo, was the second. Firtha felt it necessary to keep the “Stoneman’ name alive. He made it to the Olympic trials in Mississippi and came about 2 fights within going to the Olympics in 2004. He was on the U.S. Boxing team his last year as an amateur. Firtha’s career record is 16-4 and will fight Tye Fields in Alberta, Canada on June 20.
Firtha’s dream is to become Heavyweight champ of the world, according to a February 2007 interview by Boxingscene.com. After boxing, Firtha hopes to become a teacher and work with youth as a mentor and a role model. “I love him, of course, and am very proud of him” states mother Deb Firtha of Randolph. “He is a guy with great character and I am so proud of that. St. Joe’s was such a big part of helping to make him the man he is today. I am glad he spent his first 8 years there.”
For more information about St. Joseph School visit www.stjoerandolph.org.