Another School
Year Begins
By Dr. Thomas P. Dolan,
Superintendent
The question still
surprises me even though I have heard it almost every summer for
the last several years. It seems that no matter where I go in July
and August, almost everyone I meet asks: "So, you don't work over
the summer, do you?" For a fleeting moment, before I assure them
that there is plenty to do in our schools over the summer, I
imagine what it would be like if we were to lock the doors to the
schools at the end of June, reappear a day or two before the
students arrive, open up those doors, and try to be ready for
another school year. It simply would not be possible any year, but
especially this one, given the wide range of activities going on
in the district. It is almost comical to consider such a
proposition.
The Great Neck Public
Schools have certainly been very active over the summer in
preparation for the 2012-2013 school year. We welcomed back over
6,200 students on Tuesday, September 5, for the 199th year of the
district's operation. As you will read in the following
paragraphs, we have put the summer months to good use.
Improvements to
Facilities Throughout the District
The greatest effort this
summer has been enacting the improvements to our physical plant
that the community approved last year through the Capital Projects
Proposition. These projects will enhance our facilities, with many
of them completed as we begin the new school year. One of the most
challenging has been the addition of a new slate roof at the
Lakeville School. Our contractors have taken great care to
preserve the aesthetic beauty of that building while also
addressing some structural issues that became emergent. We are
very pleased with the quality of their work, and anticipate that
this project should be completed within the next few
weeks.
Another major project has
been the revision and enhancement of the Lakeville Road sidewalk
adjacent to the South campus. It had become difficult for students
to traverse this path and an opportunity to make it safer also
allowed us to beautify the area considerably. I bring to the
community's attention the stone gates that are approximately
halfway up the hill. Those columns were the original entrance to
the Henry Phipps Estate before the land was donated to the school
district. They had fallen into disrepair but are now restored and
can serve as a reminder to the entire community of the generosity
of the Phipps family.
I am also very pleased
with the progress that has been made on the North High
School/North Middle School track. The track that previously
existed was a cinder one that prevented North High School and
North Middle School from hosting interscholastic track meets. In
the spring of 2013, we will be able to have track meets for both
of these schools and I look forward to attending the very first
one and seeing our student athletes run on this state-of-the-art
facility. The infield grass is also being refurbished and the
field that will be in place will serve students and the community
for many years to come. A newly surfaced track at South High
School will soon be in place as well.
These projects involving
athletic facilities will mean some disruption of our home-games
schedule this year. We have found venues for all of our home games
when we will not be able to play on our own sites, and are working
at finding practice facilities to meet the needs of our student
athletes while we improve the facilities they play on. If there is
some minor inconvenience this year, I would ask that everyone
understand that this is within the context of improving our fields
while still maintaining a full schedule. Many thanks to Athletic
Director David Zawatson for contacting area schools to find both
practice and game facilities for all our teams.
Other projects, including
a new roof and boiler at the Cumberland Adult Center, new or
enhanced generators in virtually all of our buildings, new parking
lots at North High School and Lakeville School, a refurbished
auditorium at Baker School, and many new bathrooms and lockers at
North Middle School, have all been completed this summer. In
considering the extensive list, I must tip my hat to our own
Buildings and Grounds and Custodial crews who have had to work
around new and unfamiliar construction. Additionally, I must
commend our Director of Facilities Alfredo Cavallaro, and his
assistant, Steve Challis, for managing these various projects, all
the while communicating with the community and building
administrators in an effort to meet everyone's needs. I also thank
the community for their support of these projects and their
understanding as we complete them. I apologize for any
inconvenience they may have caused and hope that any disruption
will soon be ended.
Annual Professional
Performance Review Plan
Very early this summer,
the district was required to complete and submit an Annual
Professional Performance Review (APPR) plan to the State. We did
so within days of the deadline and received word that our plan
needed a few tweaks before the State would approve it.
Subsequently, we submitted our revised plan to the State. I am
certain that this resubmitted plan now meets all the State's
requirements and does so in a way that will allow Great Neck to
continue to function in the way we have, despite the fact that
this evaluation system is being imposed upon us whether we need it
or not.
The entire teaching staff
came together on August 29 and 30 to be trained in APPR, but the
majority of those two days were spent on far more important and
productive initiatives. Our principals planned worthwhile sessions
for their staff on these days. The results of these efforts will
be seen throughout the year, I am sure.
New Administrators
& Teachers
We welcome to our
administrative staff two individuals whom we are very pleased to
have been able to attract to Great Neck. Dr. Anael Alston is now
the principal of North Middle School having achieved the position
upon the retirement of Denise Nolan. Dr. Alston has already been
in contact with the North Middle School community and has been
thoroughly engaged in many meetings across the district on a
variety of topics. He was most recently the principal of the
Robert M. Finley Middle School in Glen Cove and the work that he
did there was, by all accounts, outstanding. Dr. Alston is a most
welcome addition to the district and to the North Middle School
community.
Next, we welcome Emily
Zucal as new assistant principal at the Lakeville School. Ms.
Zucal comes to us from the New York City school system where she
was a respected and admired principal. She also brings a wealth of
talent, dedication, and enthusiasm to her new position!
Late in August we welcomed
several dozen new teachers. As we predicted, we were able to
recruit outstanding applicants to the vacant positions that
existed in the district. These individuals came to us with
excellent experience, in terms of their training and former
positions. Yet, during their two days of orientation, as they were
greeted by a wide range of individuals from the district, they
seemed to be reinvigorated as they recognized the opportunity and
challenge represented by a new career in the Great Neck Public
Schools.
PEP Grant
Awarded
I would also like to bring
to the community's attention the recent news that our school
district has won a Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP)
Grant. Due to the hard work of Mr. Zawatson in collecting the data
for this grant, the district will receive up to $1.2 million over
the next three years to enhance our physical education program.
This grant was brought to our attention by Assistant
Superintendent Joseph Hickey, who also alerted us to certain
resources that contributed to our successful application. Many
thanks and congratulations to Mr. Zawatson and Dr.
Hickey.
"Whom Are We
Teaching?"
At the end of the school
year, this past June, an article by Karen Gellender appeared in
these pages and offered some very thoughtful commentary on the
state of education today. Ms. Gellender pointed out that
"criticizing teachers is all the rage right now." She proposed
instead that we should be asking, "What are the kids being
taught?" rather than who is doing the teaching. We would be well
intentioned - administrators and teachers - to spend some time
this year focusing on just that issue. Parents and students will
see some interesting initiatives in what we are teaching in our
schools this year.
But, I continue to believe
that the most important question we ask will not be about who is
teaching or what we are teaching. The most important consideration
will continue to be: "Whom are we teaching?" This Board of
Education, this administration, and this teaching staff will
continue to keep our students at the center of all decisions we
make.
So, another new school
year has begun! Here's to hoping that it is a positive and
productive one for every member of the school community, and that
the hard work done over the summer to our physical plant, the
additions to our professional staff, and the many other
initiatives reported on here, will be both well received and well
enacted.
