By:Nicole Falco
"[The Performing Arts Program] has been successful beyond my expectations," Kreisman said in an interview before she left. "It was a seedling idea talked about with Dr. [Ronald] Valenti (former superintendent of schools), based on the belief that there were tons of young people in this community that have gone on to careers in the performing arts or related fields. It really seemed that we ought to be providing a foundation for those careers."
Kreisman said she anticipated that only about 25 students would sign up for the program in its inaugural year, but instead 125 did. Each year the program continues to grow - allowing students to learn many different aspects of the field, including stagecraft, movement, acting and music.
Jenny Weinbloom, a junior at South High School, was part of the program's first class. Now in her third year as a performing arts student, Weinbloom said she had the opportunity to develop a strong relationship with Kreisman. In fact, when she and the few other South students first stepped off the bus at central, Kreisman was there to greet them. According to Weinbloom, Kreisman was there every step of the way since, whether it was to offering a student advice about an audition or college, or being there to listen after an audition that maybe didn't go so well.
"It's really a remarkable program and I plan to pursue a career in the performing arts," Weinbloom said.
According to Kreisman, the program is intended for students like Weinbloom, who have a serious interest in pursuing a career in the performing arts, as well as for those who do not.
"It's been our commitment," Kreisman said of the program. "And I hope it continues to be the commitment of the program that it is not intended to be a repertory program. We don't want it to be an audition program. We want it to be as diversified as the students in this district are."
On Feb. 1, Kreisman began employing that same kind of commitment to her new job as principal of the Hunter High School of Science, located adjacent to Lincoln Center. The school, only in its second year, operates as a partnership between the New York City Board of Education and Hunter College. Hunter High School's mission, Kreisman said, is to take average and slightly below average students and give them the opportunity to earn college credits.
Because the school has been without a principal for more than a year, Kreisman says she's really getting in on the "ground floor."
"The expectations, the whole atmosphere, the way we work together, the mission and how the mission is going to be realized just hasn't been established yet," Kreisman said.
Excited about the challenge, Kreisman said she wasn't actually looking for it. Around Thanksgiving, a former colleague, Marsha Knoll, contacted her. Knoll, who is now on the staff of Hunter College, suggested to Kreisman that she should meet with the president of Hunter College about the principalship. Kreisman agreed to the meeting and said she was really sold on the mission of the new school.
In the days leading up to her departure, it still didn't seem real that she was actually leaving. "I expect it to hit me," Kreisman said. "I don't have a vision yet that doesn't include this office and this place. The people are so important to me here. The absence of those things that I've come to rely on is going to be a little weird."
Kreisman started at Central in 1980 as the school's English department head. She became the school's administrative associate in 1984 and finally assistant principal in 1986. In the latter two positions she was responsible for pupil services and supportive supervision of staff.
"Susan profoundly influenced the professional lives of hundreds of teachers by providing them with an array of instructional practices and strategies - making them truly effective in the classroom," Principal Joe Pompilio said. "Susan professionalized instruction in the Valley Stream Central High School District. She had the unique talent of communicating teaching as an art form. Many of the teachers she worked with became animated and captivating inside the classroom."
Ron Rini, a Central High guidance counselor, was one of the hundreds of staff influenced by Kreisman. "Few supervisors are as caring and supportive as Susan Kreisman," he said. "From professional development to personal growth, Susan had been there. From triumphs to tragedies, Susan can be relied upon to lend a helping hand. I am a better, more professional person today because Susan was my supervisor for the past 10 years."
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
