When he first started working at SCH, Pete Capano was getting paid by the day to teach a single photography class. Now, in his 41st year, he is finally stepping away from an incredible career as a full time photography teacher that has impacted countless students over the years. 

As a child, Pete’s primary interest was not photography. Rather, he developed a fascination towards comic books, and illustration was his initial artistic medium. His interest would not shift to photography until his freshman year at the Philadelphia College of Art. 

“I took a photo class to make reference photographs from my paintings, and it became obvious very quickly that the photographs were much better than the paintings. And the year after that, I kind of switched majors and started basically photographing my friends in my neighborhood,” said Pete. 

Tulsa, a photo collection by Larry Clark, motivated  Pete to capture his friends in the neighborhood using photographs. . In Tulsa, Clark presents photographs capturing his group of friends who grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Many of these friends would later become drug addicts and end up in jail. 

Describing how this project impacted him, Pete stated, “I saw a parallel between that and my experience in South Philly at the time, and I was really inspired. I mean, I remember that feeling of just, you know, it was almost like a life changing moment when I thought I could do this, and I think I want to do this, and that’s what set me on my path.”

In 1974, Pete was one of the two kids selected from the district of Philadelphia to enroll in the prestigious Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. The other kid selected from Philadelphia, now iconic actor Kevin Bacon, would become close friends with Pete throughout their summer in the program. Around this time, Philadelphia was looking to start a high school for the creative and performing arts. As attendees of the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts, both Pete and Kevin Bacon played a role in the school’s approval process.  

“They asked Kevin and myself to come up to Center City and testify before this big group of people about how important it was for certain types of kids to have a school that was dedicated to the more creative kids. Yeah, and we did that. And then the year after that, that was ‘75, CAPA started,” stated Pete.  Now, the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) provides an education to over 700 artistically talented students. 

During his 41 years, Pete discovered that his calling was working with children. He credits his popularity with students over the years to his desire to build genuine relationships with his students, and his childish nature. “I’m a big kid. I’m often sitting in a classroom where I’m the least mature person in the room, and it’s always been the kids that motivated me to teach. I’m not an authority figure type person, and I’m not very good with, you know, enforcing the rules, but I’ve managed to connect with kids, and I think that they genuinely like me, because they know that I have a lot of flaws. I don’t try to hide them, and I don’t try to be something I’m not, and I think that that nurtures a real relationship. It’s not so much teacher-student, but they’re my friends, kind of.”

Pete’s connection with his students is part of the reason that he has worked at SCH for such a long time. However, his lengthy commute each day has made it difficult for him to continue working at the school.  “I love the kids. What I don’t love is, and it’s getting really tiring, is the commute from my house in New Jersey, the 25 mile commute, which, you know, sometimes during rush hour, could take a few hours,” stated Pete. “I think if I lived close to school, they’d be taking me outta here.”

In retirement, Pete aims to maintain his productive and purposeful lifestyle. However, he is incredibly uncertain about what he wants to do with his expanded free time.  “I’m scared to death, if you want me to be totally honest, because I don’t know. I mean, I’m a creature habit, and, you know, I’ve been doing this for 41 years,” claimed Pete.

When reflecting on his career and the impact he has made, Pete stated, “I like to say I feel like I’ve been very, very lucky. So I think somebody was looking after me to put me in this position. Because if I wasn’t here, I don’t know what I’ve been doing my friends, none of them are doing very well right now, the people I grew up with for various reasons, and I always feel blessed that I had an opportunity to do something that I truly love and connect with kids that you know, hopefully they got something out of my class, but maybe not specifically photo related, but, a life lesson that maybe helped them that that moved them in a positive direction. And that always made me that has given me comfort made me feel good about what I’ve done over the last 41”

One of the many students impacted over the years by Pete, Tobey Schwartz, has become a passionate photographer over the years. “I once brought my camera to school, and the high school lacrosse team asked me to come and take some pictures of them and start doing that. And then it just kind of like I started going to every game for them, and it turned it turned into me loving my photography,” stated Tobey.

Now, Tobey is not only a talented photographer, but also has career aspirations in the field of photography. “Pete has helped me so much, learning not just the basics of photography, but how to pursue it as a career,” stated Tobey. 

Tobey believes that despite Pete’s retirement, he will still be able to use him as a resource when needed. “It’s going to be very different having a new photography teacher. But I’m definitely going to keep using Pete and keep him as a contact to help me when I’m really struggling,” said Tobey. 

Another student whose life has been impacted by Pete, Trevor Meyer ‘20, is now attending college at the University of Colorado. During the four years he spent in Pete’s photography class, Trevor learned skills that enhanced his photography, but also improved his life overall. “Pete’s teaching style was important to me and many of his other students, for it demonstrated to us that, to excel in an area of life, one must not simply go through the motions but really be interested and put in work; in this way, his class helped me to achieve my goals in other classes and in overall life,” stated Trevor. 

When considering his own personal growth, Trevor again noted the impact of his time spent with Pete. Trevor stated, “he is some ever-changing mix between a teacher, a mentor, and a friend, but he is nearly always what a student needs him to be. Pete helped me to understand both the person I am and the person I want to be without forcing any agenda of his own other than to do good. He challenged me when I acted stupid, and he reinforced those beliefs of mine he agreed with, but he always made it clear that he was not omniscient.”

Considering Pete’s retirement, Trevor commented, “I don’t need to write about how much Pete affects everyone who passes through his classroom; you likely already know. Maybe it’s sad that he’s leaving, but I’m convinced that this is just a new beginning for him. It is exciting to think of the vastly positive influence he can have on kids who need him in their life, and I strongly feel that he should search for an opportunity after his departure where his presence will be valued and where he will not waste away. Convince him for me.”

As Pete heads into retirement, SCH is undergoing a search for a new full time photography teacher to take over the program Pete started over 40 years ago. With his departure, the SCH community will be losing one of its most beloved and well respected members. However, the impact he has made on his students will remain long after his career is over.