Donna Rizzo, the Principal of Wayne Central Elementary School in the Wayne Central School District has been appointed the new Newark Central School District Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction effective June 2nd.
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The Board of Education approved her appointment at their April 23rd meeting.
Rizzo will fill the vacancy being created by the June 30th retirement of Krista Lewis who has been the NCSD’s ASCI since September 2013.
“Filling Krista’s shoes will be difficult as she has been the cornerstone of our academic programming for many years; however, we had exceptional applicants for this position and Mrs. Donna Rizzo rose to the top in each round of interviews,” said Superintendent Susan Hasenauer. “Donna not only is knowledgeable and competent, but she is also hard working, kind and caring and her layers of experience with curriculum, instruction and supervision make her the ideal candidate to step into this role. I am excited to welcome her to the team and believe she will be an exceptional fit to champion the work as we seek to increase our academic achievement for every student, every day!”
“I am excited and honored to join the Newark school community,” Rizzo said. “I am committed to supporting our teachers and school leaders in creating engaging, high quality learning opportunities for every student. I am passionate about ensuring all students have access to achieving academic excellence. I look forward to collaborating with the entire school community in supporting students in achieving the skills that will prepare them for college and career. Together we will make sure we are contributing to the success of every student, every day.”
Prior to becoming Principal of Wayne Elementary School in the Wayne CSD in August of 2017, Rizzo served since July 2010 as Principal of the Freewill Elementary School. Before that she was a K-12 English as a second language (ESOL) teacher in the Wayne CSD from September 2007 until July 2010.
Her other prior experiences include being an ESOL teacher in Monroe BOCES #1 for eight months in 2007; being a classroom/ESOL teacher in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth grades in the Rochester City School District from September 1999 until January 2007; a sixth grade teacher at the Madison Middle School in the Rochester City School District from January 1998 until September 1999; and was a Pre-K teacher with the U.S. Army Child Development. Services in Italy and Germany from June 1993 until March 1996.
Rizzo received her NYS School Building and District Leader certification from the University of Rochester in 2009; her master’s degree in education: teaching English to speakers of other languages from Nazareth College in 2002; and her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in elementary education in 1992.
A Fairport resident, Rizzo and her husband Frank, an industrial sales representative for Worldwide Electric Corporation in Rochester, have two grown children, Frankie, a Captain in the U.S. Army who is currently deployed in the Middle East and Dori, a banking analyst in Dallas, Texas..