MEET THE ADMINISTRATORS OF WHS

By MIKAYLA CHAIT

At Washingtonville High School, the administration works tirelessly in order to maintain a school filled with inspired students. However, many students are unaware of the amount of work that goes into running a high functioning building. 

Here at Washingtonville High School, the administrators admire the students and are motivated to help each and every one of them achieve success. Each administrator has their own workload and shares certain responsibilities. Most students are unaware of the individual responsibilities given to them nor do they take the time to get to know them personally. 

MIKAYLA CHAIT FOR WIZARD WEEKLY

Mr. Connolly

Mr. Connolly has been working for the past nine years at WHS. Many might be surprised to discover that education was not his original career choice. He began in law enforcement where he worked as a corrections officer. Eventually, he decided to go back to school to obtain his teaching degree.  Upon receiving his masters degree in education, Mr. Connolly taught Social Studies and coached baseball for 12 years at Washingtonville High School before deciding to go back to school to procure an administrative degree. Next, Mr. Connolly worked one year at Valley Central Middle School as an assistant principal before returning to WHS as an assistant principal.  He then became principal in 2010. Teaching and coaching at the high school helped prepare Mr. Connolly to take the next step and become an administrator. Mr. Connolly is very invested in the building; he feels that this district is special and he loves the kids. He believes they are talented, full of pride and a lot of fun to be around.   He is proud to say that WHS has a great staff of teachers who truly care about the students.

Mr. Salamone

Mr. Salamone became one of Washingtonville’s assistant principals in February of 2012. His career began when he was hired as a teaching assistant at McQuade Children's Services. It wasn’t until September of 2004 that he was hired to work as a Social Studies teacher at the high school.  One of the classes Mr. Salamone taught for three years was Globish, with Mrs. Connolly, before moving into administration at Monroe-Woodbury High School. When a job opened at WHS, Mr. Salamone was thrilled to be able to return.  Mr. Salamone handles the following aspects of the school:  he is in charge of the classes of 2018 and 2020, building use forms and calendar, and he is the chair of both the Discipline Committee and Respect Committee respectively.  In addition, Mr. Salamone is responsible for creating the schedule of teacher assignments for non-instructional duties, running the Freshman Seminar, and overseeing monitor and safety staff members. Last, but certainly not least, he is responsible for our Violent and Disruptive Incident Report (VADIR). Mr. Salamone’s favorite part about working in the district is the time that he is able to spend with amazing students and their families. He believes that students here are kind, approachable, involved, and inspired people. He loves watching all of the students put their skills and strong character traits on display at our high school.

Mrs. Markiewicz

This is Mrs. Markiewicz’s first year as an administrator at WHS. She began college in a pre-med major then shifted her pediatric physician dreams to language arts and earned a BA in Spanish with a minor in English. She began her teaching profession in the Marlboro Central School District. She has also earned a certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages as well as a post-graduate degree in Educational Leadership. She is certified as a school building and school district leader. Though Mrs. Markiewicz has not taught at the high school level, she spent the majority of her teaching career at the middle school level, with a few years at the elementary level. She is the assistant principal for the sophomore class and most program ideas and issues regarding the 10th graders go through her. She is also the administrator in charge of Student Coalition, the computer labs and Chromebook carts, perfect attendance, and substitutes. She strongly believes that the teachers and staff at WHS are dedicated to the students and consistently go above and beyond. Moreover, Mrs. Markiewicz understands that the administration has proven  to be driven by what is best for the students and that everyone genuinely cares about them.

Mrs. Shaw

Mrs. Shaw has been an administrator for four years here at WHS. For nine years, she worked as an English teacher in the Bronx. She predominantly taught 9th and 10th grade, along with a few 11th grade classes. Mrs. Shaw oversees the class of 2017 and helps to oversee discipline.  Moreover, Mrs. Shaw is in charge of teacher and teaching assistant observations and evaluations.  Mrs. Shaw is also in charge of several committees including the Testing Committee, DASA Committee, Respect Committee, Wellness Committee, Compact Committee, and Safety Committee.  Along with this, she schedules and facilitates Regents and Common Core testing for the building.  She organizes and helps to facilitate safety drills within the building,  and oversees the Safe School Ambassador Program along with the Appeals Committee. Mrs. Shaw feels that Washingtonville has a very collaborative drive that each staff member contributes to.  She appreciates the “small town” feeling where everyone is able to create personal connections and have readily available resources and support. Her favorite aspect of WHS is collaborating with her team of administrators and she is truly proud to have been able to watch the Class of 2017 mature into the young adults they are today.

Our administrators are more than just faces in the hallways; they are the guiding force that leads our school. They spearhead Wizard Nation and without their support and dedication, WHS would not be as successful as it is today. It is a privilege to have such amazing leaders for Washingtonville High School.