Pelham's New Assistant Superintendent

Thanks to the Pelham School District for the following:

At the April 23, 2013 Pelham Board of Education meeting, Steven Garcia, Ed.D., will be appointed Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Personnel. 

Superintendent-Select Peter Giarrizzo, the current Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Personnel, said Dr. Garcia quickly emerged as a top candidate to lead the Pelham Schools. 

“He is intelligent, articulate and a learner and will partner with me to bring our schools to the next level.  He consistently demonstrated core values that focus on supporting a rich and challenging educational experience for all students.  He believes in a collaborative approach with teachers, administrators, parents and all stake holders to achieve this goal.”

Dr. Garcia is currently principal of the Valhalla Middle School where he serves as both a school and district leader. In addition to his role as principal, he is chair of the K-12 Common Core & 21st Century Learning Committee, represents Valhalla Schools as a member of the Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES Curriculum Council,  and was involved in developing the Valhalla Annual Professional and Performance Review, which was selected as one of the top ten models in New York State.  He has also designed and facilitated professional instructional endeavors on a range of topics, including  Differentiated Instruction, Co-Teaching and Inclusion, Inquiry-Based Learning and Response to Intervention. 

Dr. Garcia received his Masters and Doctorate of Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and his certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from the State University of New York at New Paltz. He began his career in education as a high school social studies  teacher, at the Archbishop Stepinac High School and then at the Walter Panas High School in Cortlandt Manor. He has published in various educational journals, including an article published this month in the Teachers College Record entitled, Leveraging Mental Health in Schools.  He has also published for the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).  Several of his op-ed letters were also published, including a 2005 letter titled Students Need Skills, Not More Tests in the New York Times, Westchester Section.

Mr. Giarrizzo, and Interim Superintendent of Schools Charles T. Wilson screened 18 candidates, chosen from a pool of 123 resumes received for this position.  Six candidates were selected for interviews by teams of administrators, teachers and Central Office staff and for follow up interviews by Mr. Giarrizzo and Dr. Wilson who chose three finalists described by Mr. Giarrizzo as all stellar.