Dear Carmel Community,
While summer break is still upon us, we are already looking forward to welcoming our students and staff back to our buildings for the first day of the school year in just a few weeks.
We are gearing up for another amazing year and I am pleased to share the following recent staff appointments with you:
Matthew Paterson Elementary School Principal
At the August 1 Board of Education meeting, Jennifer Darling was appointed as principal of Matthew Paterson Elementary School, beginning the week of August 14
Darling joins our district with more than 20 years of experience as an educator working with elementary school students. For the last four years, she served as the principal of Concord Road Elementary School in Ardsley, having served as the building’s assistant principal there for five years prior. In these positions, she oversaw the refinement of the multi-tiered system of support for students to strengthen core instruction; led building-level committees including the Safety Team, Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education Committee and the Planning and Performance Leadership Team; and redesigned and implemented a cycle design to strengthen the K-4 literacy program.
Before joining the administrative team in Ardsley, Darling spent 14 years working in the public school system in the Bronx, beginning as a fifth-grade teacher before transitioning into positions as a literacy instructional coach and then assistant principal.
Darling earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education PreK-6 from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Cortland, an MSEd in Literacy Birth-6 from City University of New York (CUNY) Hunter College, as well as an EDM in Leadership for Educational Change from The Bank Street College of Education.
Interim Director of Technology
At the August 1 Board of Education meeting, Daniel Svarczkopf was appointed as the Interim Director of Technology for the district, beginning August 21. The vacancy was created when I took on the Interim Superintendent role and I have been serving in both capacities while we searched for and appointed a candidate as Interim Director of Technology.
Svarczkopf joins our district from Newburgh Enlarged City School District where he served as Assistant Principal of an elementary school for the last year, having also served as the Instructional Technology Facilitator for the four years prior.
Svarczkopf’s career in education has provided him with opportunities to develop a unique ability to effectively analyze student achievement data which has helped teachers drive exceptional student outcomes. He began his career as a Mathematics Teacher and Educational Technology coach at Passages Academy in New York City, before moving into roles as a Computer Science Teacher in Newburgh Free Academy’s P-TECH Program and then the Computer Science Program Coordinator at Newburgh Armory.
Svarczkopf earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education (Mathematics) from Mount Saint Mary College, a Master of Science in Educational Technology from SUNY College at Oneonta, as well as a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from SUNY New Paltz.
We are excited for both Darling and Svarczkopf to join our district’s administrative team over the next few weeks. Please join me in welcoming them to our district.
Best regards,
Joseph McGrath
Interim Superintendent of Schools