By Nick Buglione
Principal of Woodland Middle School since 2000, Lenson is calling it a career after logging 36 years in education. "I thought at this time I wanted to try some different things," said Lenson, 57, a North Woodmere resident. "I wanted a little time on my own."
In his five years at Woodland, Lenson was a well-respected administrator who created a strong working relationship with Woodland's teachers and parents.
He's credited with successfully continuing Woodland's transition from a junior high school to a middle school--a switch that took place before he became principal--and significantly raising the school's standardized test scores.
"Jack was a real find for us," said Leon Campo, deputy superintendent of the East Meadow School District. "He helped turn Woodland into a true middle school and he played a very key role in helping bring about that transition. We initially weren't happy with some of the [standardized test scores] and Jack put a lot of energy in order to improve the school's standing."
Education has always been Lenson's calling. Born the son of a Holocaust survivor in West Germany, Lenson's mother died before he was 2. He and his father emigrated to America in 1950, settling first in the Bronx, then Brooklyn.
It was through the New York City school system that Lenson became interested in becoming a teacher. "As I went through the schools, it was something I realized I wanted to do," he said. "These were my role models. I always wanted to be a high-school social studies teacher."
As a young adult, he enrolled in Brooklyn College to study education. It was the 1960s, and Lenson immersed himself in the hippie counterculture. "It was great, between the campus demonstrations and Rock n' Roll and all the other things going on," he said.
He traveled to San Fransisco, visiting Haight Ashbury, which was to hippies what Mecca is to Muslims, and went to Woodstock the summer after graduating college in 1969.
Lenson didn't go straight from Woodstock's fields that August to a classroom that September, instead he worked as a waiter. "It was difficult getting a job out of school at that time," he said.
But he would soon land one teaching social studies at Junior High School 285 in Brooklyn, after a principal who frequented the restaurant he worked at pulled a few strings.
He would teach at that school for the next 24 years, during that time serving as the unofficial head of the social studies department and eventually the school's acting assistant principal.
It was his first position in school administration, and he enjoyed the job. He went on to serve as assistant principal of Junior High School 202 in Ozone Park, Queens for three years, and principal of Intermediate School 211 in Canarsie, Brooklyn until 2000, when he joined Woodland.
Running a school in Long Island was quite different than running one in New York City, Lenson said. "There were much more resources and the class sizes were smaller," he said. "The socio-economic differences have a major impact on the quality of schools and teaching staff. It was difficult retaining teachers in New York City for any length of time."
When he came to Woodland, it had already changed from a seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade junior high school to a sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade middle school. In the late 1980s and early 1990s many school districts made this switch in order to smooth the transition between elementary school and high school.
"There is a distinct difference from when a child is 11 to when a child is 13," Lenson said. "These kids are unique in their qualities and needs. Middle schools are much more child-centered, whereas junior high schools were subject driven."
After becoming principal, Lenson said he worked hard to make Woodland "more of a learning community where people work together in partnership for common goals."
He's also proud of the emotional and social learning promoted in the school during his tenure, aimed at molding students into responsible, caring adults.
Woodland teachers and parents alike recall working with Lenson fondly. "Working under Jack has been a pleasure," said Rich Santer, a science teacher. "He has always found a way to say yes to any idea I brought to him that would benefit Woodland's students. Jack is a humanist who always puts people first in his decision making."
Woodland PTA President Linda Slagus said she's sorry to see Lenson go. "He was always willing to work with us on our ideas," she said. "He was very helpful and attentive to everybody's needs."
Married with two children and two grandchildren, Lenson plans on slowing down a little and playing golf. Though he admits he's going to miss the kids.
"I get a lot of pleasure in just observing them," Lenson said. "The last five years have been the most personally gratifying of my 36 years in education."
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
