Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Pelham Union Free School District.

This evening, I am extremely pleased to be recommending that the Board of Education appoint Bethany Antonelli as the next Assistant Principal of Pelham Memorial High School. Ms. Antonelli currently serves in the same position at Energy Tech High School in Queens and has valuable experience in general and special education, as well as in counseling services, making her a strong fit to build upon the incredible legacy of our high school alongside Mark Berkowitz, who was appointed as the next principal last month. Both appointments are effective as of July 1, 2020.

The search process for the assistant principal position included initial screening of more than 300 applicants by my cabinet followed by interviews with selected candidates. Top candidates then met virtually with a committee of parents, students, teachers, administrators, and support staff. Finalists were then interviewed by the Board of Education. At each step of the process, Ms. Antonelli proved herself to be a dynamic and versatile candidate whose experience makes her well positioned for success in Pelham.

In her current position, Ms. Antonelli oversees many aspects of Energy Tech’s operations, including the Career and Technical Education department, the guidance and math teams and special education. Her responsibilities include designing and implementing professional development for staff and she has successfully brought a differentiated approach to these opportunities. As an educational leader at an engineering focused high school, Ms. Antonelli has worked to incorporate performance based assessments to measure student growth and mastery as well as explored various instructional approaches, such as flipped and self-paced classrooms.

“I am so excited to be joining Pelham Public Schools, and Pelham Memorial High School,” Ms. Antonelli said. “I am awed by Pelham’s sense of pride and community spirit, and thrilled to be joining this wonderful community of students, faculty and families.”

Prior to being named assistant principal, Ms. Antonelli served as Special Education Coordinator at Energy Tech and also chaired the ELA Department at Frederick Douglass Academy III in the Bronx where she also was a model teacher and 10th grade team leader. She holds a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, a Masters Degree in English Education from Manhattanville College, a Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Colgate University.

I want to thank Mrs. Clark and Mr. Rothstein for their continued leadership as we close out this school year. I believe Mr. Berkowitz and Ms. Antonelli will form an incredibly capable administrative team that will ably guide our high school successfully down the challenging road ahead. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Antonelli to Pelham!