District Hires Interim Principal At Flower Hill School

Dr. Marlon Small, the longtime principal of Flower Hill Primary School, has resigned from his position effective Friday to become assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the South Country Central School District in Patchogue.

Paula Nickerson, a veteran administrator, was appointed by the School Board to serve as interim principal until a permanent replacement is in place. Nickerson has also served as a leave replacement principal at Jefferson Primary School while Valerie Capitulo-Saide took time off for a child care related leave of absence.

"We thank Mr. Small for his dedicated service to the Flower Hill community over the past 11 years and congratulate him on taking the next step in his professional career,” Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said on the district's website. “We are pleased to have Ms. Nickerson on hand to serve in interim capacity and look forward to introducing the next principal of the Flower Hill School this fall.”

Small began working in the district in 1999 as a fourth grade teacher at Huntington Intermediate School and was named dean of students three years later. A year later, he moved to Georgia with his family but returned in July 2005 when he was hired as assistant principal of Birchwood Intermediate School in the South Huntington School District. He was named Flower Hill principal in July 2006.

Nickerson has a Bachelor's Degree in English from SUNY Potsdam, a Master of Science degree in reading from the University of Scranton and has obtained her state administrative certification through SUNY Cortland.

About Nickerson via HUFSD:

Ms. Nickerson worked as a high school English and reading teacher in the Owego-Apalachin school district for 11 years before serving as assistant principal of Chenango Valley Jr.-Sr. High School for eight years. She later worked as an associate principal, interim principal, director of physical education, health and athletics and coordinator of pupil services in the Union-Endicott school district.

Ms. Nickerson was director of athletics in the Middle Country school district for six years and director of athletics and physical education at Bishop McGann-Mercy High School for three years. She has worked as an interim principal at Maplewood Intermediate School and Jefferson Primary School and as interim director of athletics in Greenport. She has also been an adjunct professor at Dowling College and Stony Brook University.

The district expects to officially fill the position in October.

Image via HUFSD