TRI-VALLEY SCHOOL SCENE
W
anted: Superintendent of Schools for school district on edge of beautiful Catskill Park. Earnest, motivated students. Two dynamic principals. Committed school staff. Excellent community support. That's the way it is at Tri-Valley Central School District in Grahamsville, even if it's not exactly the want ad on the BOCES website. “The school is the heart of the community,” said Board President Patrick Kelly. “There's a lot of pride here. Picking a superintendent is a big responsibility.” The District has hosted three focus group discussions inviting staff, administrators, parents and community members to weigh in on attributes they seek in a superintendent, such as excellent leadership, educational vision and communication skills. “We prefer that someone live in the Grahamsville-Neversink area,” added Kelly. “And we want someone who will be visible outside the school day at community events.” Sullivan BOCES is spearheading the search. Once a pool of candidates
SULLIVAN COUNTY DEMOCRAT
Tri-Valley opens arms to new administrators STORY AND PHOTOS BY KATHY DALEY exists that meets the specified criteria, said Kelly, Tri-Valley will interview the applicants by means of two committees that are both weighted with the same mixture of school staff, community members and parents. The committees will independently come up with choices and then meet to discuss the results to see how they match. “It's an approach the Board is excited about,” Kelly said. The plan is to have a new superintendent in place by July 1. And, said Kelly, the District expects the superintendent to stay put for a good while. Only six superintendents
54087
2T
have served Tri-Valley since the 1950s merger that centralized several schools into one. Most recently, Superintendent of Schools Thomas Palmer, who stepped down in January to take another post, led the District for almost a decade. “In education, everything is changing,” said Kelly. “We want someone to stabilize and steer the schools. We want consistency at the top.” NEW PRINCIPALS Right at the top this year are new school principals Jennifer Williams at the K-6 Elementary school and Sherri Carattini at the 7-12 Secondary
FEBRUARY, 2018
School. Both are now living in the Grahamsville-Neversink area, arriving from very different regions of the world. “I graduated from Fallsburg High School,” said Williams, whose husband, Simmie Williams, is Fallsburg police chief. Before Tri-Valley, Jennifer served for nine years with the Ellenville school district as high school assistant principal, elementary school principal and middle school principal. “At Tri-Valley, we have a set of teachers who are so nurturing to children,” Williams reflected. “Students at every level have their own special qualities, and the staff is what makes it happen for the kids. I find joy in being with this school.” Williams is delighted with what's already flourishing at the elementary school, including a relationship with Catskill Hudson Bank that allows a real school bank to operate, with students learning about banking and saving money. A new student newspaper club will begin rolling out editions in March, and a student-run school store is in the works. This year saw the launch of a