During its January 25 Board of Education meeting, the Averill Park Central School District appointed Christina Mein as the Interim Principal at West Sand Lake Elementary School.
Mrs. Mein will be taking over for current principal Mrs. Kyer, who will be retiring in March.
“Mrs. Kyer has been a staple in the Averill Park Central School District for many years and has made an impact on countless young lives. As all West Sand Lake Elementary School families can attest to, we have been fortunate to have her leading the way over the past 16 years. We are very sad to see Mrs. Kyer retire, and we wish her all of the best in the future,” APCSD Superintendent Dr. James Franchini said. “Mrs. Mein has agreed to fill in at West Sand Lake Elementary School for the duration of the 2020-21 school year. We are confident that her elementary school experience, as well as her assistant principal experience, will enable her to hit the ground running. This transition will allow the District to continue to achieve its goal of meeting the needs of and creating opportunities for every student every day.”
Mrs. Mein has experience at all levels of K-12 education, including general education, special education and administration. More than 10 years of her 24 years of working in education have been spent serving as an elementary or special education teacher and as a K-12 summer school principal.
She is no stranger to the Averill Park Central School District, as Mrs. Mein is currently an Assistant Principal at the High School, a role that she has occupied since 2016.
“I have the privilege of working collaboratively with the APHS Leadership team to foster and develop collaborative and positive relationships with the students, staff and families at APHS,” she said. “Our collective goal is to provide our students with rich and robust academic programs and a variety of extracurricular activity opportunities that help prepare each of our students for life after high school.”
Mrs. Mein believes that many of her skills will translate seamlessly to the elementary level and hopes to be able to connect with students in a meaningful way to close out the 2020-21 school year.
“I recognize that we are in an unprecedented time, with an ever-changing landscape and challenging circumstances. The pandemic has certainly presented all of us with a variety of challenges,” she said. “I look forward to supporting the students, staff and families at West Sand Lake Elementary School during this unprecedented time. As I transition to West Sand Lake Elementary, I am looking forward to participating in one traditional activity by visiting classrooms to be a ‘mystery reader’ and facilitate read-a-louds. Books provide us with the gift of taking us to new and exciting places, they build connections and broaden our capacity to empathize, and they help us to understand others.”
Mrs. Mein and her husband, Russ, have a daughter, Ashleigh, and two dogs, Eddie and Lilly. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking and baking, taking walks with her daughter and dogs, reading, and going on family vacations.