100 Day Plan

The number of people that influence the quality of schools is vast as it includes:

• the students

• parents

• support staff

• teachers

• coaches

• related service providers

• secretarial staff

• custodial staff

• kitchen staff

• Transportation staff

• building and district level administrators

• community members

• school board members

It is important that I build positive relationships with as many stakeholders as possible to gain information about the people and building who I serve, and how I can use my talents to support the principal in improving the quality of education for all of our students. I intend to accomplish this by:

• Knowing the vision of the school as set by the principal, so my actions can be aligned towards out school’s mission

• Being visible in the morning to greet students and staff

• Being in the classrooms to introduce myself and see the good that is already happening in our school

• Having conversations with students about what they are passionate about to see if we can bring those elements into the school

• Share in the excitement of being a member of our school community by going to our sports and after school events

I have been very fortunate to have parents who encouraged me to follow my interests during my formative years. As I continue to grow as an educator, I can reflect on the fact that my experience was atypical, and it was due to my level of access to these programs. Therefore, as a school leader, it is my goal to provide access to these opportunities for our students.

Music

Like most students in Long Island schools, I was exposed to the recorder in elementary school, and joined the orchestra as a bass player shortly after. In high school and college, the traditional stand-up bass gave way to the bass guitar and I found myself joining many bands and enjoying the process of writing, recording, and performing music. While at Molloy College, I was a declared history major, but was allowed to take music major exclusive classes such as modal counterpoint and guitar fundamentals with Dr. Thomas Rizzuto.

Goals and Rationale

There are several program ideas that I have that I want to introduce to our school community that will accomplish several things:

1) Provide the structure and guidance in developing a new musical recording program. The goal of such an elective course is to further expose our students to the possibilities of finding a career in the arts, and developing the preliminary skills needed to thrive.

2) Create a new ensemble that lower classmen can look forward to joining in their junior or senior year. This is designed to give students another entry point into the arts who do not want to participate in the traditional chorus, orchestra, band, or jazz band.

Martial Arts

The vast majority of my time from ages 8-24 were spent on the mats at our local dojo. Within four years, I began teaching classes to both children and adults, and would eventually become lead instructor for the school. I had the privilege of working with the Police Athletic League Special Needs Unit where I was able to grow my karate program from 12 students across two classes per week, to over 75 students in 5 classes per week. We then had growing demand for additional actives, allowing this organization to expand into many different spaces to provide an unprecedented level of choice for our kids. After 10 years with the P.A.L.S.N.U., I resigned from my post to teach full time.

Credentials

• Third Degree Black Belt in Shotokan Karate

• Represented the United States in the SKIF World Championships in Japan and Greece as a hand selected member of the US National Team

• Brown Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Goals and Rationale

Introducing a martial arts program to our school will help meet the needs of our community members who must look for them outside of our school. Students who do not have access to those opportunities are unfairly harmed by their individual circumstances. This program will provide discipline, self confidence, and comradery to those students. By closing this access gap, negative behaviors will decline because many of those students exhibiting these behaviors by finally feel like they belong. They feel happy. And happiness is the perquisite for learning.

When I start my tenure as an Assistant Principal, my primary objective will be to help my Principal lead the school towards our shared vision. Within that space, there is an array of places where I can create a positive influence that I want to explore. As I gain more experience and familiarity with the school dynamics, I can better identify where my talents can be leveraged to help our students grow. Additionally, I think of myself as a life long learner, and will seek additional learning opportunities to help our school grow.