The Freeport Board of Education has approved the appointment of two experienced administrators to head Freeport High School and Caroline G. Atkinson School, effective July 11.
Kimberlee Pierre, currently principal of the Nassau BOCES Joseph M. Barry Career and Technical Education Center (Barry Tech), will assume leadership of Freeport High School. Named to the top post at Atkinson was Linda G. Carter, principal of East Meadow 's W.T. Clark Middle School, and familiar to many in Freeport from her service as a teacher and administrator at Freeport High School from 1985-1998.
At the present time, Freeport High School has an interim principal, Theresa Oropallo. Atkinson Principal Gladys Andrews, who has been an administrator in Freeport for 17 years, will retire at the end of this school year.
A "rigorous" selection process
"We are delighted to welcome an administrator with such a wide range of experience as Kimberlee Pierre to provide the next era of leadership at Freeport High School," said Superintendent of School Dr. Eric L. Eversley. Dr. Eversley described the selection process that resulted in Pierre 's appointment as "extensive and rigorous, with screening by the Board, administrators, staff, parents and high school students."
Pierre has been principal at Barry Tech for the past two years, responsible for planning, organizing and implementing school policies; hiring, training and evaluating staff and monitoring curriculum. She presided over the rededication of the Nassau BOCES facility as a state-of-the art technical education center. Prior to that, Pierre served as principal of the Islip Career Center of Eastern Suffolk BOCES.
The newly appointed FHS principal spent 12 years at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, first as a social studies teacher and then as assistant principal, administering special education programs and counseling students.
Pierre earned her bachelor's degree at SUNY Binghamton and her master's degree in special education at Long Island University. She holds certification in administration and supervision from Brooklyn College, and is a member of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Pierre lives with her husband and daughter in Rockville Centre.
Returning "home"
"Welcome home," said Board members and Dr. Eversley to Carter, appointing her to the Atkinson principalship. Carter left Freeport Public Schools to become assistant principal of East Meadow High School in 1998, and also served concurrently as the EMHS Summer School Principal for grades 6-12. In 2002, she was named principal of
Clarke Middle School, where she has hired, supervised and evaluated staff, facilitated community and staff workshops, and created a framework for close communication with parents and community.
During her previous service in Freeport, Carter was an English teacher and became a lead teacher, also serving as Assistant Director of the Evening School. She created and coordinated both the FHS Human Relations Club and the Annual FHS Human Rights Day from their inceptions.
Carter, a Freeport resident, received her bachelor's degree from Queens College and her master's from St. John's University. She holds a professional diploma from C.W. Post College, where she was honored by the Superintendents' Forum. Carter is currently a member of the Hofstra University Advisory Board. |
