Mepham Excessive welcomes new principal | Herald Group Newspapers

Anthony DeMartinis, a former assistant principal at Sanford H. Calhoun Excessive Faculty, in Merrick, started his new job as principal of Wellington C. Mepham Excessive Faculty, in North Bellmore, on July 1. DeMartinis was an assistant principal for steering at Calhoun for 3 years.

Earlier than arriving at Calhoun, DeMartinis, 38, served as a faculty counselor at John F. Kennedy Excessive Faculty, the place he supplied tutorial, social, emotional, school and vocational counseling. He earned an undergraduate diploma in felony justice at SUNY Albany, and a grasp’s at school counseling, in addition to an Superior Certificates in instructional management, at LIU Publish. He lives in Bethpage.

When DeMartinis was in school, a dialog with a household buddy, who was a counselor within the New York Metropolis colleges, sparked his curiosity in a profession in training. “My buddy was describing his job to me,” he recounted, “and the way he works with college students all day, and talks about their tutorial progress and their future objectives — the way it had an impression on them — and I assumed it gave the impression of an ideal and actually noble profession, and one thing I’d need to do. Attending to know college students on a person degree, taking a look at choices for them, serving to them by way of the robust occasions and celebrating the nice occasions remains to be so rewarding.”

DeMartinis in-terned at Kennedy Excessive, the place he developed a love for training, and was supplied a full-time place. After a number of years as a counselor, he was suggested by a colleague to take lessons in administration. “I began to consider affecting college students on a constructing degree and using a few of my expertise and management to perhaps impact change there,” he stated.

“To have the ability to do this sort of work with tutorial employees and different constructing chief colleagues, and naturally, the scholars and the dad and mom, but in addition nonetheless have that one-on-one particular person relationship, it’s one of the best of all worlds for me … personally and professionally,” DeMartinis added. “I really feel so fulfilled to have the ability to work with college students in that respect.”

He thanked Bellmore-Merrick Central Excessive Faculty District Superintendent Mike Harrington and the Board of Training for placing their religion in him to guide Mepham.

“His constructing management expertise at Calhoun,” Harrington wrote of DeMartinis in a districtwide assertion, “has given Anthony the chance to function the college’s Dignity Act Coordinator, the architect of the college’s grasp schedule, the executive supervisor for the departments of particular training, world languages, and English as a brand new language, all along with his excellent work in main the Calhoun counseling and wellness middle.”

Calhoun Principal Nicole Hollings stated that DeMartinis has given super assist and care to the college’s college students, employees and households. “He’s a unprecedented educator who works tirelessly to assist college students academically, socially, and emotionally,” Hollings stated.

DeMartinis stated he was trying ahead to attending to know the Mepham neighborhood, and might already see how tight-knit it’s. “Everyone seems to be so excited to impart Mepham’s historical past and to speak in regards to the constructing and this neighborhood,” he stated, “which leads me to assume there’s a lot pleasure right here. It’s simply an unimaginable place to be part of.”

He has realized loads in his time as an educator, he stated, and believes that all the pieces he has realized will serve him nicely at Mepham. “Listening is among the most essential issues that you are able to do for folks, for college kids, employees, for folks,” he stated. “Particularly with all the pieces we’ve been going by way of as a society and as communities the previous a number of years, , listening has by no means been extra essential.”

With a profession influenced by constructing connections, in his first 12 months as principal, DeMartinis stated, his aim is to construct a rapport with the Mepham neighborhood. “I’m excited to face exterior the doorways, to greet the academics, the scholars, the dad and mom which are dropping everyone off,” he stated. “I can’t wait simply to see and meet everybody on this neighborhood and get to know everyone actually, rather well. I feel that’s an essential a part of being a constructing chief.”