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A Few Clouds New principal for North High School
Plainview-Old Bethpage assistant principal to replace Clifford Odell
The Valley Stream Central High School District Board of Education voted on May 12 to hire a replacement for North High School Principal Clifford Odell, who was appointed as the district’s assistant superintendent for personnel and administration in March.
The board voted unanimously to approve the appointment of James Bolan, currently an assistant principal at Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School. He will assume the role at the start of the district’s new fiscal year on July 1. Odell, who will oversee Bolan, interviewed him for the position, and said that he was confident Bolan was the right choice for the job.
“When I spoke with him, one thing that was made clear to me is that he made great personal connections, and that’s exceptionally important as the leader of a school,” Odell said. “He was clearly a high-quality educator capable of adding a lot to our school.”
The search for Odell’s replacement began almost immediately after he was promoted, according to Superintendent Bill Heidenreich. He said he spoke with the school board about beginning the search immediately after Odell was appointed on March 10. The district began advertising the position five days later, and soon received more than 50 applications.
From those, Heidenreich and his staff selected six candidates who met with a committee of parents, students, teachers, secretaries and other district staff members.
That committee recommended three candidates, who were then interviewed by Heidenreich and Odell, who in turn recommended two of them to the school board, which interviewed both and selected Bolan.
Heidenreich said that Bolan stood out from the start.
“One thing that really struck me is how highly we thought of Mr. Bolan throughout this entire process,” he said. “When my staff and I were first reading through resumes, we pulled his out as one that we thought had maybe the best chance to succeed. Then, when he met with the committee, we were told that he was their favorite. He really impressed us in both interviews after that, so we are confident we have a great candidate.”
