By: Andrew Coen
Dr. Steven Kussin, principal of Lawrence High School; Gerald Goldsmith, principal of the Number Five School in Cedarhurst; and Yvonne Nicholas, principal of the Number Four School in Inwood, have all announced their retirements, effective July 1.
Kussin-s retirement will come after a total of 21 years as principal, the last 10 at Lawrence, following 10 years at Farmingdale High School and one year at the Wheatley School in Old Westbury. I am very much going to miss this place, he said. I am not looking forward to leaving.
Kussin had nothing but positive things to say about the faculty and staff at the school. It-s an incredible faculty and staff that are as devoted as can be, he said.
Kussin also said he is proud of the atmosphere that was created at the school during his decade there. I wanted to create a climate of caring and concern, almost like a family and like a private school, and I think we accomplished that, he said.
A mentor program and weekend school, to help students prepare for mid-year and final exams as well as the Regents, were established during Kussin-s tenure.
Steve is one of the nicest outgoing adults I have ever met, said Michelle Lineal, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. His presence will be sorely missed.
We-re all very sad to know that he is retiring soon, said Lawrence High School Co-PTA President Marcia Ringelheim. He-s been a great leader and friend to students, parents and teachers. We wish him much luck in his future endeavors.
Kussin may be retiring from secondary education, but he will stay busy as an adjunct professor in Hofstra University-s School of Communications, pursuing a career in broadcasting and also writing a novel that he hopes to someday make into a screenplay. He is also the national men-s vice president for the northeast region of Hadassah, recording secretary for the Merrick Jewish Center and the co-coordinator of the Chessed Society, which in Hebrew means helping.
Number Four School Principal Yvonne Nicholas, retiring after 34 years in education, came aboard in District 15 in 1994, the same year as Kussin. I feel as if I enhanced a very special early-childhood program, Nicholas said of the school, which enrolls only kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students. Our program has been modeled and replicated by other districts looking to start an early-childhood program.
Nicholas said she is most proud of the Resolving Conflicts Creatively Program that she helped establish. She also serves as a board member for the Long Island Children-s Museum in Garden City, and has helped set up a collaboration between the museum and school.
Before arriving at the Inwood school, Nicholas was the principal at an elementary school in Queens, and worked in the central office there for 10 years. She also teaches a graduate-school class for teachers looking to get administrative licenses.
We have been blessed to have her, said Lineal.
Nicholas- retirement after 34 years in education means she will have more time to travel, and to watch her son Drew play pro basketball in Italy. (He-s a former Hempstead High School star who was a member of the University of Maryland-s 2002 NCAA championship team.) Nicholas also said she hopes to be able to volunteer more at the Long Island Children-s Museum.
Goldsmith has been principal of the Cedarhurst school since 1996. Under his leadership, the school boasted higher test scores, ranking first among the district-s elementary schools on the 2003 fourth-grade English Language Arts and math exams. I have been working with an outstanding instructional staff, and everyone has been very supportive, said Goldsmith. It really has been a privilege working in Lawrence.
Before arriving in District 15, Goldsmith was principal at Public School 34 and assistant principal at P.S. 181 in New York City. The level of investments, the class sizes and the resources [here] were considerably different than it was in New York City, said Goldsmith. You have a much greater chance to make an impact here than in New York City.
He really took hold of that school with his head and with his heart, and we-re very grateful for the service that he-s given to the families not only of the Number Five School but to the district, said Lineal after the school board voted to approve the retirement at the March 23 meeting. His wisdom and wit will be greatly missed.
Last year Goldsmith was faced with the potential closing of his school, a move that he fought and one that was eventually voted down by the board. It-s disconcerting when you-re dealing with these issues, but I think we made our stance very, very clear, he said.
Goldsmith also hopes the case he and fellow teachers and parents made last year for keeping the school open will help prevent the school from closing in a possible future plan. I am confident that the arguments we made last year will remain through this year, he said.
Goldsmith said he will spend more time traveling in his retirement.
I have found them to be true professionals, Lawrence Superintendent Dr. John Fitzsimons said of the three retiring principals, with whom he has worked for only one year. I selfishly wish they had held off on retirement, he joked.
According to Lawrence school board President Frank Parise, replacements for the retiring principals will likely be hired in the next few months, with applications being accepted from both inside and outside the district.
