By Dana Klosner-Wehner
“It’s a thrill to be here; it’s a challenge,” Angelillo said. “This is a community rich in tradition and rich in community support which I am very thankful for.”
Angelillo comes to the school with 32 years of experience. “I’ve spent my whole career in the district,” she said.
She started as an English teacher at New Hyde Park Memorial High School and went on to become a counselor there. She left to have a child and had a second child while still on leave. She returned to Elmont Memorial as a counselor and eventually became the guidance chairperson there. She then went on to become an assistant principal at Elmont, then moved on to Sewanhaka High School as an assistant principal before coming to H. Frank Carey as the principal.
The responsibilities of a principal are all encompassing, Angelillo said. She brings with her a wealth of experiences and a depth of knowledge about the Sewanhaka district.
“I believe that a principalship is about student achievement,” she said. “So anything and everything that’s connected with that I believe is my job in the building. So that goes from working with the students –– making them aware of what is expected of them on every grade level, what I call the rules of the road. Because I think if they’re following and participating and are actively involved in all aspects of high school and junior high school, than they are on the right road for academic success.
“I believe another job, obviously, is working with the teachers, providing them with the support and the staff development for them to filter down and work with the students so they can achieve academic success,” Angelillo added. “To my chair people, to the assistant principals to the custodians and the lunch people, I like to think we are all in this together and we’re all working toward the same goal and that is to make our students achieve academic success and be productive members of society when they graduate from Carey.”
Angelillo speaks from experience. She took advantages of the opportunities high school had to offer when she was in school. She was very involved in student government which at the time was called the general organization or G.O.
“I worked on each of the class boards,” Angelillo said. “I started out as what you’d call a class representative. I moved up, I was the junior class vice president and then senior year I was the G.O. president.”
Angelillo is ready for the tough challenges that face her as principal.
“I see the challenges facing most principals today is probably working with the students and giving them the skills and the education that they need to move out and be those productive members of society,” she said. “I think the real world is tough out there. I think the more we can prepare them with the education and the real life experiences through education better prepares them to move on, whether it’s to the world of work, whether it’s to the armed forces or to two- and four-year colleges or to trade schools. I think those are the challenges today, to be giving them real meaningful experiences and education in high school so that they’re really solidly prepared to play an active role in society when they graduate.”
Angelillo has advice for today’s students.
“I tell them here at Carey we are about academic achievement,” she said. “That simply is applying yourself and doing the very best that you can possibly do.”
In Angelillo’s free time she is an avid reader. Her current favorite book is “Water for Elephants.” It’s a story that on one level brings richness about life experiences and how people deal with things that life places in your path, she said. It’s about how well you go through them, over them, around them and how well you use them to learn and grow, she said.
She also enjoys playing tennis and would like to start playing golf. She is married and has three adult children.
Angelillo sees a bright future for Carey High School.
“I think I see us moving forward and simply getting better at all we do,” she said. “I know that sounds rather pie in the sky, but I think if we’re doing well academically, then we’re going to try to do better. If we’re doing well on the Regents, then lets move more students into the mastery level. If we’re doing will in [Advanced Placement] lets see where else we can challenge our students. What other courses can we add to the curriculum? I think it’s about moving forward.”
Comments about this story? AHackmack@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
