New Rye Middle School Staff for 2024-25
On Monday, the Rye City School District announced 24 new staff members across the district.
Introduce yourself to the five new Rye Middle School staff.
Rye Middle School
Administrator
Nicholas Clair, Assistant Principal
Mr. Clair is already well-known at Rye Middle School and throughout the Rye City School District. For the past two years, he has been the District’s High School and Middle School Instructional Coach. In that role, he designed and facilitated professional learning for RMS and RHS teachers. He wrote curriculum, designed specialized learning experiences in collaboration with teachers, and worked with the Special Education Department’s Building Bridges Program to provide co-teaching instruction.
Before coming to Rye, Mr. Clair completed an administrator internship at F.D. Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park, NY. He began his teaching career as a high school mathematics teacher at F.D. Roosevelt and then Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, NY.
At RMS, Mr. Clair will work to promote both the academic and social-emotional development of our students. He will also lead professional development for faculty and staff, focusing on how to best meet the needs of all students across curricular areas.
Mr. Clair holds a B.A. in Mathematics Education from Hartwick College, an M.S. in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from Walden University, and a CAS in Administration from Stony Brook University.
Teachers
Gina Elezovic, Special Education
Ms. Elezovic comes to RMS from P.S./M.S. 498 the Van Nest Academy in Bronx, NY, where she has spent the past 11 years as a 1st, 3rd, and 7th grade ICT special education teacher, a grades 3/4, 4/5, and 5/6 grade self-contained special education teacher, and a grades 6/7 and 7/8 ELA and social studies self-contained special education teacher. Before working at Van Nest, she taught elementary school general education classes at Somers Intermediate/Primrose in Somers, NY, and for three years at P.S. 108 the Philip J. Abinanti School in the Bronx. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education and an M.P.S. in Literacy and Special Education, both from Manhattanville University.
Sarah Horne, Special Education
Ms. Horne comes to RMS from Eastchester High School where she has been an integrated co-teaching social studies teacher for the past year. Before working in Eastchester, she spent three years at Scarsdale Middle School, working as a one-to-one aide, resource room classroom aide, ICT, and special education math classroom aide, and then a student teacher for 8th grade social studies. Ms. Horne has a B.S. in History and a B.A. in Philosophy from SUNY Oneonta and an M.P.S. in Middle Child and Adolescence Social Studies Education and Special Education from Manhattanville University.
Victoria Jessie, Choral and General Music
Ms. Jessie comes to Rye Middle School from the VOICE Charter School in Queens, NY, where she taught general music, student choir, piano, vocal technique, and musical theory and directed concerts and musicals for the past four years. Before working at VOICE, she spent three years as a music teacher at East Harlem Scholars Academy Middle School. Previously, she taught music and drama to students grades K-8 at the Saint Aloysius School, The Jesuit School of Harlem. She has a B.A. in Musical Theatre from Manhattanville University and is currently pursuing her Masters in Music Education K-12 from Hunter College.
Staff
Lisa Barone, School Psychologist
Ms. Barone comes to Rye Middle School from the East Ramapo Central School District where she has worked as a school psychologist for students in grades 4-8 for the past four years. Previously, Ms. Barone spent a year as a high school level school psychologist leave replacement in the Clarkstown Central School District. She completed her school psychology internship in the Ardsley Union Free School District and her practicum in the Bronxville Union Free School District. She has a B.A. in Psychology from the University at Albany and an M.S. in School Psychology from Mercy University.
