Pleasantville Residents Meet Prospective Principals
Pleasantville residents got a firsthand look on Thursday at the two candidates looking to become the next Pleasantville High School principal.
The two candidates, Dawn Bartz and Mark Bayer, gave statements about themselves and their background and took written questions from the audience and the principal search committee. More than 50 people attended the meeting.
Bayer is currently the assistant principal at Horace Greeley High School, a position he has held since 2004. He has a Masters degree from New Paltz and a Bachelor’s Degree from Manhattan College.
“It’s been an enjoyable experience,” Bayer said. “Many times, I almost forgot I was being interviewed. It’s turned into a conversation, a conversation that I enjoy.”
Bayer said that at the schools he has worked, he has been an agent of change. At a high school in Poughkeepsie, he set up a mentoring program that assisted at-risk students.
“I believe in rooting for students and being behind students and getting to know them at a personal level,” Bayer said. “I have the relationship with families and staff.”
Bartz is currently the Assistant Principal at New Canaan High School, a position she has had in 2006. She has two Masters Degrees from Columbia University and California State University and a Bachelors Degree from University of Rhode Island. Bartz said she became an administrator so she could take on more leadership.
“I enjoyed the experience,” Bartz said. “I am ready to take on the position of principal.”
Bartz said she would like to see active student engagement at Pleasantville, and would like to help out the kids who might get lost in the crowd.
“I want to promote leadership,” Bartz said. “If kids feel they are a part of the community, they are going to be engaged in all parts of the community. I’d rather have students engaged, otherwise who are we working for?”
The district will name a principal on May 17.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.