MARGARETVILLE, N.Y. – Margaretville Central School has announced the hiring of a new 6-12 principal, to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of former principal Laura Norris.
Lenny Giardino joins MCS this month, bringing with him over thirty years of education experience in New York and Oregon. A former classroom teacher and inclusion specialist, Giardino has eight years of experience as a PreK-12 school administrator, CEO, and superintendent, and served as a special education chairperson.
Prior to his time in education, Giardino worked as a Peace Corps worker, serving as an Americorps/VISTA in the North Clackamas School District. The mission of the Americorps/VISTA program is to alleviate poverty, and volunteers support an organization to make sustainable change in areas that affect poverty, including education, public health, climate, access to benefits, and more. Giardino served the organization as a school-to-careers advisor for at-risk youth in the North Clackamas School District.
As a result of that experience, Giardino went back to school for his teaching certification in Oregon, after which he taught in North Clackamas. While at North Clackamas, he began a private/public partnership for credit recovery programs throughout the Portland area, the aim of which was to help students who were at risk of not graduating. Giardino served as the Executive Director and expanded the program to offer SAT classes and college prep classes.
Upon returning to New York, Giardino continued to teach and work in middle and high school settings, and after six years, he became an administrator, with both building and district leader credentials. Following the premature birth of his twin sons, he shifted his focus to early childhood education to better learn the science and best practices behind brain development.
Giardino served as the Director for Healthy Families New York, and also led Early Head Start programs, after which he became a superintendent, leading one of the largest UPK-12 programs in upstate New York.
In addition to his varied professional experience, Giardino is an author who has written about trauma-informed care. “Understanding how the brain works during times of stress helps to be an administrator that leads by utilizing the skills of empathy and understanding that everyone at some point has stressors that can inhibit personal growth,” he says. “It is our role as leaders to create a safe environment for everyone to work together and learn how to achieve positive outcomes for the student population and families that we serve.”
Giardino began his career as a Camden Blue Devil, and says he looks forward to returning as a Blue Devil in Margaretville, and to meeting and working with students and families. He is the father of two grown children and two sons who will attend college in the fall.
