Schools

Tech Savvy, Billy Joel Align to Bring P.S. 41 its New Vice Principal

Public school dancers perform in honor of P.S. 41's new vice principal, and others.

Joseph Ferrara is freshly installed as Vice Principal, but he's already garnered commendation from his district.

Community District Education Council 26 on Thursday hosted a performance by a troupe of tiny ballroom dancers from PS 26, PS41 and PS/IS178. The performance was organized as a tip of the hat to Ferrara, as well as several other newly appointed administrators from around the district, including Principal Kathleen Driscoll Vice Principals Jason Chin and Melissa Gluszak, and retiring principal, Dena Poulos.

Ferrara was officially appointed in October. He had previously been a 5th grade teacher at the school since 2006. Previous to that, he was a 3rd grade teacher in district 28 for two years. To beef up his experience, Ferrara had taken courses in school administration previous to his appointment, which helped him stand out.

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Principal Sari Latto, who initially hired him as a teacher into District 26 five years ago, said she had a pile of 300 resumes for the position sitting on her desk, with one thick envelope—Ferrara's—on the bottom. To even out the pile, Latto said, she opened his, which contained a digital presentation of his qualifications on a CD, set to a Billy Joel tune.

"I got on the phone and I said, 'I like Billy Joel too. Come on in for an interview,'" said Latto. She also credited his rapport with the school's teachers to his appointment to an administrator.

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"I think that over time, I just had established myself in a capacity that was helpful to teachers and meaningful to students," said Ferrara.  "I happened to have a facility for technology, which I think is critical for this job in this day and age," he added.

Click on the video to watch Ferrara's address to the District, and dancers from P.S. 26, P.S. 41 and P.S./I.S. 178 perform for all the honorees. Video of ballroom performance shot by Nathan Duke.


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