In what may have been one of the worst kept secrets in the City School District of New Rochelle, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Korostoff formally introduced on Friday the the new building leadership to the Columbus Elementary School faculty, both well-loved and familiar faces at the school. The district selected Sonia Nuñez as Principal and hired Michael Galland as her Assistant Principal.
“My name is still Sonia,” declared Nuñez as she wrapped up her remarks to celebratory applause from the teachers.
Sonia Nuñez, the school’s long-time Assistant Principal under Dr. Yigal Joseph, was formally announced as the school’s new Principal two weeks ago. Dr. Joseph announced his retirement this spring.
“I am so full of joy to have you here and so happy to lead you on this journey” said Nuñez. “Our priority is the children, that’s what its all about and we have an excellent foundation from Dr. Joseph, my mentor, who has taught me so much.”
Asked if parents could expect any changes after the long and successful career of Dr. Joseph, Nuñez named one. She will be convening a Family Prep Program for the first time this summer. The school will invite parents of grades K-2 students to school to acquire skills to help their children. She said there will be three sessions, the first this August, then one is December and one next June.
Galland and Nuñez are well acquainted. The pair worked together previously at Isaac E. Young Middle School for two years where they shared an office for 18 months.
For Galland, the AP position at Columbus is a homecoming. Based on the reactions to Galland as he waited to be formally introduced as the new Assistant Principal, a welcome one. Galland began his New Rochelle career at Columbus in 1998
“This is a dream for me”, said Galland after his introduction by Nuñez.
“I am so blessed to have the chance to come back here”, he continued. “I couldn’t have written a better script 15 years ago hen I first walked into this building.”
“If anyone ever told me that I would get this chance to be Sonia’s AP I would never have believed it could be true,” said Galland.
Sonia Nuñez has worked for the New Rochelle Board of Education since 1998; 7 years at Columbus since 2005 and 8 years before that at Isaac, since 1997. At Isaac she taught foreign language, native language arts and served as ESL Coordinator and 21st Century Grant Administrators. Before that she taught at Freeport High School in Freeport, Long Island and Hackett Middle School in Albany, NY.
Galland started at Columbus teaching third grade math, He moved to Isaac in 2003 to take the position of Department Chair in Math and Technology, teaching one class and supervising the department’s teachers.
Galland earned his Master’s at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Upon graduation he was in the second ever Teach for America cohort in 1991, teaching 6th graders in Houston, TX. He went on to three years at District 11 in the Bronx.
FANTASTIC!
Congratulations Ms. Nunez and Mr.Galland!
What a wonderful choice for Columbus Elementary School!
Dr. Korostoff…You made the RIGHT choice for Columbus Elem. School…Now LET’S GO…Get Trinity Elementary School back on track…You have a TOP NOTCH Principal, Mr. DiCarlo, now let’s get rid of the old mess and get a TOP NOTCH Assistant Principal for that school…THE CHILDREN DESERVE IT and so do the PARENTS!
Good People
Something to feel good about today. Know both, Michael a little better when at Isaac. Sonia is well known and a positive asset. Michael actually gave me more responsibility than the average substitute receives; for example, took over a math class for a few weeks while incumbent had a child.
What I like about Michael Galland is that he is sensibly creative. He is not doctrinaire, recognzies math is difficult for many children and encourages faculty to frame instruction in very concrete tersm. He might, for example, further a child’s understanding of circles, radii, angles, even alegbra specific say to a 360 degree circule by using a whold pizza as representing the circle and go on from there.
A good match of good people and this speaks well of Columbus and eases the loss of Yigal Joesph.
Best to Sonia and Michael. I know they both understand the transition stage and its issues between exiting 5th graders over to entry level 6th graders based on Middle School background. That is critical in a child’s learning and acculturation cycle and behavior and attitude formation in middle school is, I truly believe, one of the major indicators of eventual success thereafter.
I don’t think we will hear much whining concerning national or state goals from these two. They udnerstand better than most the grueling climb back up the ladder we face to compete with students worldwide.
Buena Suerte Sonia and Mazeltov Michael
Congratulations!
Good luck Ms. Nunez and Mr. Galland. You are both wonderful additions (or rather continuity) to Columbus and excellent educators. The tradition of excellence will continue at Columbus as the flagship of all elementary schools in New Rochelle.