Ellen McDonnell, who has served in three different administrative positions in the Rye City School District, will take over for Principal Timothy Mundell, whose resignation becomes official on June 30.
The Board of Education is expected to approve the appointment at its May 12 meeting. McDonnell will assume her position officially on July 1.
Prior to her five years of administrative duty in Rye, she was a tenured math teacher at John Jay High School in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District, where she also served as an assistant administrator of curriculum in math and science.
McDonnell, who earned a master’s degree from Cornell University, is working on her doctorate at Manhattanville College, which should be completed next year.
In all, the district pored over more than 150 candidates that were vying for the position, a pool that was narrowed to a dozen, who then met with various school stakeholders. Nuzzi then trimmed the field to a pair of finalists before deciding McDonnell was the ideal choice.
According to Nuzzi, “McDonnell clearly stood out as the top choice as someone who will be able to translate our new mission to prepare every student for excellence.”
In a statement, Rye Schools Superintendent Frank Alvarez bemoaned losing McDonnell to another district.
“She has done a terrific job in Rye, and she has gained everyone’s respect,” he said. “She’s a treasure, a true leader, a hard worker and she has an outstanding background in curriculum, instruction, data analysis and technology.”
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