School guidance administrator taking a job up-Island
Mark Palios is leaving Shelter Island to become assistant principal in the Middle Country Central School District.
After five years at the helm of Shelter Island School’s Guidance Department, Mark Palios is moving on.
He’s set to take a position at Newfield High School in the Middle Country Central School District where he will become assistant high school principal.
His resignation was accepted at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting and it will take effect on January 9.
The hunt for a replacement begins immediately, Superintendent Leonard Skuggevik said, noting that ads would be placed and the Board of Education hoped to pick a successor within days of Mr. Palios leaving.
Academic Administrator Jennifer Rylott said she would fill in as needed if the chosen candidate has to give notice of up to 30 days to his or her current school district.
Board member Elizabeth Melichar said she wanted to thank Mr. Palios for his contribution to the district and wish him well in his new job.
“It’s been a great five years,” Mr. Palios said Monday afternoon. “I hope I’ve brought a sense of excellence and professionalism to the department,” he said.
The 34-year-old Mr. Palios said that during his tenure the counseling department was modernized with a digital system put in place to track college applications and test results.
Also during his tenure, the district started a process of outreach to former Shelter Island graduates in an effort to track their progress and determine what ways they were or were not prepared for the challenges they faced after high school.
As for the future, he said he’s looking forward to working in a larger district where there are 1,400 students in the high school and to expanding his role in educational administration.
Another advantage of the new job, he said, is that it will be a much shorter commute since he lives in Stony Brook.
