Published: July 26, 2007 10:51 am            

LYNDONVILLE: Middle school principal resigns, taking new administrative seat in CNY

LYNDONVILLE — Middle School principal Mathew Penrod will be leaving the district after a five-year tenure to take a position closer to family in central New York.

His appointment as principal of Central Square Middle School, located north of Syracuse, will bring him to a district twice the size of Lyndonville’s with more than 1,300 children, Penrod said.

“My wife and I are both from the Syracuse area originally so it brings us back closer to family,” Penrod said.

The decision was a difficult one as Lyndonville is where his children, now 4 and 1, were born, he said. Penrod also invested a great deal in the district, helping to develop a culture of 100 percent student success by going out of his way to help a student in need.

Under his direction, an academic center was created where students could drop in for extra help or guided study from teachers in the library. Penrod was also instrumental in improving services for students with special needs and jump starting a focused literacy initiative three years before many of the schools statewide.

The efforts started paying off at the end of the school year, Penrod said. There were fewer than 10 course failures among all of the middle school students.

“We used data to make sure that we’re instructing at the appropriate level for the students and that they’re improving,” Penrod said. “We really focused on, are the kids learning, and if not, what can we do different.”

While at the Central Square School District, Penrod said that he hopes to continue with the student learning initiatives he has taken at Lyndonville. His last day will be Aug. 3.

“Lyndonville is a fabulous place,” Penrod said. “It’s been a great place to work and raise a family. The teachers and administration team have been fantastic. It’s difficult to make that decision when you know the district is doing such great things.”

“We’ve made a lot of friends in the community and we’re definitely going to miss them,” he said.

A private executive session was held at Monday evening’s board meeting to discuss Penrod’s replacement for the beginning of the 2007-08 school year. When hired, Penrod replaced Scott Wolfe, the middle school’s first principal.

Contact reporter Nicole Colemanat 798-1400, ext. 2227.

        

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