With the beginning of the 2016-17 school year on the horizon, Sewanhaka High School will embark on this journey with a new leader at the helm. School officials looked all the way to little Elba, a town near Buffalo, for a principal to lead the high school in years to come.
During the past four years, Dr. Christopher Salinas has served as principal at Elba Junior/Senior High School in Elba. Now, he has assumed that role at Sewanhaka.
“It is both an honor and a privilege to join the greater Sewanhaka school community as high school principal,” Dr. Salinas said. “In collaboration with our students, staff, parents and district leadership, we will provide a positive student-centered environment that will enable all students to be successful lifelong learners. I am thankful for the opportunity to lead a learning community comprised of fantastic students and teachers and excited to see the great things that both will accomplish in the years ahead.”
During his time at Elba, Salinas also served as director of assessment in the Elba Central School District. Prior to that, he served in a variety of positions in a variety of upstate New York school districts. He both served as principal at Fairport High School and at Avon High School. He was also assistant principal at Cazenovia Junior/Senior High School. Before assuming administrative duties, he also served as a secondary social studies teacher and technology integration teacher in the Greece Central School District. Salinas received his bachelor of arts in history at St. John Fisher College and his master of science and doctorate of education at the University of Rochester.
Upon leaving the Elba School District, Salinas penned a message to that district’s parents.
“It has been said that ‘a thing of beauty is a joy forever,’ and while schools are comprised of many things, on the whole, this school community is an absolute joy,” he said. “So it is with a heavy heart that I share with our parents that I will be leaving this summer. I have accepted and will begin as principal of Sewanhaka High School. “What will be most memorable is the accumulated memories of our collective work these past few years. These years have been filled with laughter and with tears; with comfort and with hardships; with pleasure and pain. So as I transition to a new position, I will remember that our students and staff fought and conquered challenges with knowledge, understanding, and compassion for one another. We have, and continue to see kids thrive. A transition process will be established by the district and communicated. The transition will continue to build on the level of success that has been achieved by students and staff in the years to come. This is a very strong school and will continue on its upward trajectory in the years to come.”
Officials are hoping that same success comes to the high school as Sewanhaka continues to build on its own record of academic excellence.
