Shaw Avenue Elementary School will welcome two new assistant principals to the school’s administration team in Valley Stream District 30. Nyree Whittaker-Roth and Ashley Lemmo will take the reins from Christina Alicea-Cosme and Andrew J. Canle as assistant principals for the upcoming school year both of whom are moving on from the district after a three-year tenure.
Alicea-Cosme started her role as the principal of Goosehill Primary School in the Cold Spring Harbor School District last month. Canle has also moved on to serve as assistant principal of the O’Neill Elementary School in the Central Islip School District.
Whittaker-Roth and Lemmo were unanimously approved to be appointed to their positions at the board of education meeting on June 13, serving alongside Principal Christopher Colarossi.
“We are so excited to introduce two new members of our Shaw Avenue family,” said Colarossi. “Mrs. Whittaker-Roth and Mrs. Lemmo both come to us with extensive knowledge and experience in reading and math curriculums, teacher development, technology integration, family outreach, and various social and emotional supports. Most importantly, these two amazing educators are 100 percent dedicated to putting children first and helping them grow into dynamic and compassionate leaders.”
Whittaker-Roth has 19 years of experience in education throughout New York City schools including serving as the Site Coordinator for the District 29 Pre-Kindergarten Center in Queens and the Instructional Coordinator for Division of Early Childhood in the Bronx.
Whittaker-Roth received a master’s degree in elementary and special education from Touro College and holds advanced certifications in school building and school district leadership and accessible literacy framework from Long Island University.
Lemmo began her educational career in 2016 as a teacher in K131 Brooklyn District 15. She later became the special education district liaison and subsequently the literacy and special education coach for the same district. Lemmo received a master’s degree in teaching, childhood and special education from Queens College and master’s degree in childhood mathematics from Brooklyn College. She also holds a certificate of advanced study and educational leadership from the Center for Integrated Teacher Education at the College of Saint Rose.