Wednesday, Sept. 3 wasn’t just the first day of classes for the Baldwinsville Central School District — it was the beginning of full-day kindergarten classes, a new computer science program and incoming superintendent Dr. David Hamilton’s career at Baldwinsville.
Hamilton, who previously served as superintendent of the Penn Yan Central School District, has been at work in Baldwinsville since July, but last Wednesday was his first chance to greet students.
“I’m so glad that school is back in session,” Hamilton said. “School without students in it feels so empty and almost wrong.”
Hamilton succeeds Jeanne Dangle, who retired July 1 after 11 years with the district. Dangle passed away Aug. 29 after a battle with cancer.
On the first day of school, Hamilton toured Elden Elementary School and Baker High School. At Elden, he sat in on Lisa D’Andreano’s kindergarten class. This year marks the first time Baldwinsville has held a full day of school for kindergarteners.
Hamilton invited three Baker High School students to eat lunch with him in the cafeteria on the first day. Ex-officio student school board member Shelley Verma, a senior, and juniors Alexander Henwood and Colleen Magowan shared a jovial conversation with the new superintendent over salads, sandwiches and wraps.
Verma and Magowan said Hamilton came across as “friendly” and “not too serious.”
“He’s very dedicated to the success of our district,” Verma said. “I think he will do a wonderful job as our superintendent.”
Hamilton said he has met with community leaders, students, teachers and parents throughout the district to create a vision for the future of Baldwinsville’s schools.
“What I’m hoping is all of that will bubble up and chart a grassroots vision of what Baldwinsville values,” he said.
Coming from a district that’s about one-fourth the size of Baldwinsville — Penn Yan has around 1,500 students, compared to Baldwinsville’s 5,500 — Hamilton said he’s had quite the learning curve, but his colleagues and students alike have offered him a friendly hand.
“What’s so wonderful about the students is they’re very open. They’re willing to reach out their hand and say ‘hi,’” Hamilton said.
For Hamilton, the district’s mission is to find out “what more can we do to make their [the students’] careers as outstanding as possible.” He praised Baldwinsville’s “high-performing” students, from confident elementary schoolers stepping off the bus to juniors and seniors who load up their schedules with AP courses.
“I truly see leaders all around us,” Hamilton said.