Schools Boss Moves to Appoint New Principal at Rye High School
(PHOTO: Once the Board of Ed gives its thumbs up, Dr. Derek Schuelein will be the new principal of Rye High School.)
Rye High School will soon have a new principal. Schools boss Eric Byrne announced Friday afternoon that he will recommend the appointment of Dr. Derek Schuelein as the new principal, replacing Patricia Taylor. Taylor has served as principal since 2011 and announced her retirement in December. A new principal was appointed at Milton School just ten days ago.
The Rye Board of Education has to formally approve Schuelein. Schuelein is currently principal of Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook. He has served in that capacity since 2018 after serving four years as assistant principal.
The formal announcement follows:
“April 17, 2020
Dear RCSD Community,
I am so pleased to share with you that Rye High School will soon have a new Principal. I am recommending that the Board of Education appoint Dr. Derek Schuelein as Principal of Rye High School, effective July 1, 2020.
Over the past four months we conducted a rigorous search process in collaboration with School Leadership LLC, screening many candidates and conducting four levels of interviews with district administrators and a committee of stakeholders, including parents, teachers, students and support staff. Additionally, central office administrators and representatives from the Board of Education met with final candidates. Throughout the process, Dr. Schuelein demonstrated a strong skill set as an instructional leader and administrator; an approachable demeanor and collaborative nature; proven commitment to building student relationships; deep experience working in partnership with teachers and staff to develop more student-centered learning; and background working in high-performing schools and communities with high expectations and involved families.
Along with the recommendation of our committee, the Board and I strongly believe that Dr. Schuelein is the right person to help the District continue to meet our goal of developing an educational program that advances the critical skills necessary for all learners to achieve success as citizens in the rapidly-changing global world and workplaces of the future.
Dr. Schuelein comes to us as an experienced and successful administrator. He has been Principal of Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook since 2018, and served as Assistant Principal at the same school for four years prior to that. During this time, he implemented programs that realigned curriculum and instructional practice with project-based learning, initiated discussions on type and quantity of assessments and alternate methods to measure student learning, and redesigned counseling programs with a focus on proactive services and students’ social-emotional wellbeing. In short, Dr. Schuelein is a leader who is willing to make changes to improve the lives of students while supporting excellence in learning.
Prior to working in Blind Brook, Dr. Schuelein was Assistant Principal at Lindenhurst High School, a high-performing high school in Suffolk County, NY, for three years, and was Assistant Principal at the Jane Addams High School, Bronx, NY, for three years prior to that. He began his career in education as a social studies teacher at Jane Addams High School.
Dr. Schuelein holds a B.S. in Secondary Education, with a concentration in Social Studies, from Pennsylvania State University. He has an M.A. in Social Studies Education from CUNY Lehman College, and a Certificate of Advanced Study (C.A.S.) in Educational Administration from SUNY New Paltz. He has an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Manhattanville College. In his dissertation, he researched student access to advanced coursework and sought to determine if there are more effective ways to promote greater access to opportunities for advanced study.
Dr. Schuelein, his wife, Dr. Mariead Schuelein, a pediatric physical therapist, and their three sons live in Yorktown Heights, NY.
We will be scheduling several virtual coffees to give High School parents, faculty and staff a chance to meet Dr. Schuelein remotely. Please be on the lookout for further information with dates and times. We look forward to hosting in-person meet and greet sessions when we are able to do so. Dr. Schuelein will also implement an entry plan over the coming months as he works to learn all about Rye High School.
A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all the committee members for their time and effort in what turned out to be a remote hiring process. The insights and feedback of the committee were invaluable.
Please join me in welcoming Dr. Schuelein to Rye High School and to the Rye City School District family.”
