Euclid and Lincoln School Principals Named

The district’s two elementary schools will now be led by district teacher Michael Sickels and Joseph Colangelo, who formerly taught in the district, come this fall.

The appointed Sickels principal ofand Colangelo the principal of l Thursday night after a private session meeting that lasted nearly two hours.

The two newly appointed administrators will replace the school’s current principals at a Board of Ed meeting last month that was attended by a large group of parents who had come to protest the moves.

Unlike the large group who attended last month’s meeting, a small group attended Thursday night eager to find out who will now head their child’s grammar school.

Sickels, currently teaches third grade at Euclid School. teaching at both Euclid and the Middle School. Colangelo, who is the athletic director in Elmwood Park, was formerly a teacher at the Hasbrouck Heights middle and high schools, said Dina Messery, business administrator.

Before the vote, Mark Porto, Superintendent, told the audience that these decisions came as a result of a collaboration of board members, teachers and administrators who all worked together on this.

Porto said they received 83 resumes which they had narrowed down to 17.

He said it was not “rubber stamping decisions” as many people came in with different perspectives and there was much discussion and time put into this.

Eileen Oettinger, a parent, asked Porto if these two new principals meet the requirements to carry out the the vision which he had stated was the reason why Brinker and O'Hare were transferred. Porto confirmed that this was involved in their decision making and reiterated that the vision involves focus on literacy, career based education, math remediation and character education.

Lisa Castellano, another parent, told the board she does understand how difficult this must have been and thanked them for their efforts.

“I hope this works for both elementary schools and for the vision of all the children in general,” she told the board.

During last month’s meeting parents had questioned the reasons behind the transfers of the current principals and many voiced their disapproval regarding the turnover of principals at both grammar schools in the past two years.

Peter O’Hare served as Euclid School principal from February 2011 until this month, when he takes on a new role as assistant superintendent. He had been transferred from the principal position he held for 14 years at the high school to take on the role at Euclid.   

Brinker has been principal of Lincoln School since July of 2010. She will now  be the art teacher for Euclid School.