The Herricks School District Board of Education officially approved the contract of Dr. Fino Celano on Jan. 8, the successor to retiring Superintendent of School Dr. John Bierwirth, who is retiring June 30.
“I wanted to say how proud I am and how excited I am to be coming to such a wonderful school district and to work in such a wonderful community with professionals and high-achieving students,” Dr. Celano said.
Dr. Celano was selected by the board after a lengthy and arduous search that saw multiple applicants vying for the coveted position. However, Board President Jim Gounaris noted that the final decision was based on preserving the positive legacy that Dr. Bierwirth had created for the district during his tenure.
“Dr. Celano is a very sincere man; a man that I really think will fit well with what Dr. Bierwirth has done for the school district. He will help to push us forward with the foundation that Dr. Bierwirth has left,” Gounaris said. “We’ve come so far and done such great things, and Dr. Celano is the man to help us continue to move forward. We have confidence that he is the perfect man for the job.”
Dr. Celano began his career as a teacher in 1978, and worked in numerous schools throughout New York State in a variety of capacities. He comes to Herricks from the Garden City School District, where he has served as assistant superintendent for personnel since 2005. Dr. Celano holds a master’s in reading education from Manhattan College and a doctorate of education in educational administration and supervision from St. John’s University.
“That I am the next superintendent of the Herricks School District is something that I will take great pride in telling people and I want to thank the members of the board of education for their confidence in me,” Celano said.
The official adoption of Dr. Celano’s contract was bittersweet, as this same meeting also saw the board’s acceptance of Dr. Bierwirth’s official letter tendering his retirement effective
June 30, following 14 years of service to Herricks.
“When I took this position, I really just wanted to have fun and really push the envelope in terms of education and I had that fun, and I really think we did push that envelope,” he said. “Herricks was everything that I had hoped for when I came here. I’ve enjoyed watching our students succeed.”
For Gounaris, the experience of actually finalizing Dr. Bierwirth’s eventual departure was surreal. However, he said he would save the mushy stuff for later in the year when Bierwirth’s final days as superintendent draw closer.
“It’s been an honor working with you,” Gounaris said to Dr. Bierwirth. “It’s actually kind of weird, finally seeing this on the agenda. We’ve all known it’s been coming for a while, but the reality is altogether different.”
Redesigned SAT
School Guidance Chairperson at Herricks Middle School Gina Horton gave a brief presentation on the newly re-designed SAT exam adopted by New York State this year and to be implemented in the spring of 2016. She noted that the current sophomores of the Herricks School District would be the very first ones to experience this new exam, and discussed some of the changes that these students could expect to see.
“The components of the new exam are similar, but different in that there is more evidence-based reading and writing where students will be evaluated more on their comprehension and reading skills,” she said. In the past they had to read a passage and find the best answer. Now, they will have to read a passage, and then go back and find evidence that supports their choice for the best answer. In addition, they’re really going to be apprised on their editing and revising skills for writing.
“The math portions of the test will be different in that they will focus on more algebra,” Horton added.
While some aspects of the revised SAT exam may seem more difficult, Horton said other parts will provide more leeway than the notoriously stressful test —widely used for college
admissions in the United States—is typically known for.
“With the next text, students will not be penalized for not answering questions,” she said. “They will only be penalized for questions that they answer that they get wrong.
Previously, we used to encourage kids to make sure they answered all the questions, but that will no longer be the case.”
Dr. Bierwirth commented on the sweeping changes being made to the SAT exam, noting that the new format will be beneficial to students in the long run.
“This will make it harder, since you can’t just learn tricks…you have to be prepared,” he said.
