The Mohonasen board of education has appointed new assistant principals for the high school and middle school.
Dean of students Makensie C. Bullinger joined the high school administrative team of Principal Patrick McGrath and veteran Assistant Principal David Collins on July 13.
Thomas P. McDonald, a former Guilderland math teacher, will begin his new duties as Draper Middle School assistant principal on Aug. 1.
Bullinger is a familiar face in the district, having taught science for approximately eight years at Draper before becoming a dean three years ago.
In addition, Bullinger was an assistant girls varsity basketball coach for five years and coached at the freshman level for two years.
She was also a member of Draper’s building planning team, the district’s safety team, and the technology committee.
I’ve been part of the Mohonasen community for approximately nine years, Bullinger said. `I’m very excited to become part of the efforts to create supportive learning environments enabling success for all students.`
Bullinger earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and secondary education from SUNY Cortland and a master’s degree, with a concentration on curriculum development and instructional technology, from the University at Albany. Last year, she earned her school administrator and supervisor certification from The College of Saint Rose in Albany.
McDonald’s experience includes four years of teaching math at Guilderland’s Farnsworth Middle School and nine years of teaching at Schenectady City High School.
Draper’s new assistant principal was the chairman of Farnsworth’s health and safety committee and a building cabinet member ` which is the middle school’s shared decision making unit ` an instructor for the `Strive for Success` program which provides support for at-risk students and their parents, and was a National Coalition Building Institute trainee in a program that focuses on cultural diversity.
`I think I bring a diverse background to Draper Middle School, which is helpful in this day and age,` said McDonald. `I have taught in an inner city school district as well as a suburban district, and my experience in high school will help me understand where the students in middle school are headed.`
He earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a concentration in mathematics from SUNY Plattsburgh and a master’s degree in math from the University at Albany.
He earned his school administrator and supervisor certification from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.“