Wheeler principal to bid farewell

Wheeler Avenue School has been a big part of Dr. Christine Zerillo’s life for the past 13 years. But come the end of the month, she will be saying goodbye.

Zerillo has been principal at the school for the past nine years, and spent fours years before that as a sixth-grade teacher there. When she moved back to New York in 1999, she found a job with Valley Stream District 13 and couldn’t be leaving any happier.

Raised in Syosset, Zerillo earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. John’s University. She then got a job there as associate dean of placement and career development, where she helped students with job skills such as preparing for interviews and writing a resume.

After 13 years at that job, she then followed her husband for the next 15 years. She was a computer and fifth-grade teacher in Fairfax County Schools outside of Washington, D.C., a fifth- and sixth-grade math and science teacher in Louisville, Ky., and a third- and fourth-grade teacher in Columbia, S.C.

They then decided to move back to New York, buying a house down the street from where she grew up. While teaching sixth-grade at Wheeler, she earned her administrative degree from Stony Brook University.

Eventually, the principal job opened up and she was chosen to lead District 13’s largest elementary school. “I always felt that as a principal, I was still a teacher,” she said. “I was an instructional leader for teachers.”

Zerillo said that she wanted to become a principal to help even more students. She counts her nine years as Wheeler Avenue’s leader as a success because of strong support from the teachers and from district administration. They all share the same core value, she explained — children come first.

It’s also a value she shares with District 13’s other three principals. Zerillo noted the stability of the group — she was the last of the group to be hired so the four have been together for nine years. “We work as a team to support each other,” she said. “They are always there for me and I’m always there for them.”

With about 600 children in first through sixth-grade (kindergartners go to Willow Road), Zerillo said she made it a point to know each and every child by name. Watching them grow up, blossom as learners and take pride in their accomplishments were the most rewarding parts of the job.

Zerillo said she brought dedication and enthusiasm to the job. When she wasn’t in her office, she was visiting classrooms, monitoring student arrival and dismissal, or checking up on the lunchroom.

She was tapped by the district to be the lead administrator in the search for new math and science programs. Zerillo also created the Fill-a-Bucket program, based on a book, which encouraged positive behavior in the school, or as she calls it, a “Guide to Happiness.” And during her time as principal, she earned her doctorate in leadership and foundations from Hofstra University.

Wheeler Avenue is District 13’s oldest building, and Zerillo said it was a privilege to lead a school that has been around for nearly 90 years and symbolizes the community’s commitment to education, past and present. “To know that so many children and teachers have used this facility before us, it’s incredible,” she said.

Zerillo led the charge to have two windows installed in the building’s auditorium to bring in natural light and fresh air, along with partially restoring the original look of the school. She also had acoustic panels added there to improve sound for student concerts.

Board of Education President Frank Chiachiere described Zerillo as someone who is well-respected by teachers and parents, and was a steady hand leading Wheeler Avenue. Chiachiere said he first got to know Zerillo when she was a student in a graduate class he was teaching at Stony Brook, and saw her potential as an administrator. “I’m glad the board saw Christine the same way I did when she applied for the position,” he said. “I think she’s been a solid principal.”

As she heads into retirement, Zerillo said she has few plans so far. She will learn more about all of the local sports teams because students are always asking her what her favorite team is. “So when I come back and visit,” she said, “I’ll have answers for the children.”

She said she will miss everything about the school — even the discipline. After all, she said, it’s part of being a principal and if done right discipline teaches children to be better people.

Zerillo will also miss the family atmosphere of the school, where parents, teachers and staff come together to do what is right for the students. And, most importantly, she said she will miss all of the people.

“I’m going to cherish all of my memories,” she said. “This school district and school have been a big part of my life.”