SCHENECTADY — Dennis Green, a longtime administrator with the Schenectady City School District, has been tapped to serve as the next Schenectady High School principal after spending the last eight months in the role on an interim basis.
The district’s Board of Education last week unanimously confirmed Green’s appointment, which will take effect July 1. Green, who has held various roles and earned numerous awards since coming to the district 17 years ago, has served as high school’s interim principal since last October.
“I am honored to have been selected for this important role and to lead our school filled with amazing teachers, staff, students, and families,” Green said in a statement. “My vision for learning is built upon understanding the impact of trauma and the need to create protective factors in the school system to best support our young people.”
Green will replace Christopher Chank, the school’s executive principal, who will take on a new role as the cohort principal for the district’s satellite campuses at Proctors Theatre and SUNY Schenectady beginning next academic year.
The additional campuses are the first phase of the district’s secondary education redesign, which focuses on creating education and career pathways for all students.
Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr., in a statement, said Green “stood out and above” during the interview process, and has an “unwavering commitment” to students that aligns with the district’s goals.
“He knows and relates to our students, the staff and families. He is connected and it’s clear that he has the dedication, experience, skills, and relationships to move our high school forward,” Soler said. “Green is an advocate for our students. He is aligned with our vision. He listens and has an unwavering commitment to ensuring the success of Schenectady’s young people.”
A community care specialist and foster care worker for nearly a decade, Green came to the district in 2005 as a student counselor, serving as an alternate suspension counselor at Mont Pleasant Middle School and then a K-12 counselor at Washington Irving Educational Center.
In 2011, he was appointed the assistant director of Washington Irving, where he helped oversee the day-to-day operations and created alternative programming for marginalized students.
During his time with the district, Green co-founded Boys Day Out, an enrichment program for Schenectady youth, which earned him the Schenectady County Human Rights Award. Green has also received Capital District YMCA’s Black and Latino Achievers Award as well as the Hispanic Coalition’s Honorary Rising Star Award.
He is also involved with the district’s My Brothers Keeper program.
A graduate of Southern Vermont College and the Sage Colleges, Green said he plans to focus on ensuring equity for all students through teamwork, which he said is key to ensuring student success.
“As someone who has been a part of many teams throughout life, I understand that a leader must recognize the strengths of their team members and utilize everyone’s skills and strengths to be most successful,” he said. “The last eight months at Schenectady High School have proven to me that while we might experience success as individuals, our students will only win when we come together to work as a team.”
Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: 518-410-5117 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @ChadGArnold.
Categories: -News-, Schenectady, Schenectady County
