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Charles Smilinich, principal at
Colonial Elementary School |
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Charles Smilinich, principal at Colonial Village Elementary School in the Niagara Wheatfield Central School District, has been selected as the 2015 New York State Elementary Principal of the Year by the 7200-member School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS) and the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP). This award is given annually to a member of SAANYS and NAESPl. He will be honored at an awards ceremony on May 8 at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany.
Smilinich has served in his current position at Colonial Village Elementary School since 2011, which is said to have a nearly 70 percent family poverty rate.
Commented Superintendent of Schools Lynn Marie Fusco, "Smilinich transformed the school into a well-managed, community oriented hub of student and family learning. He has created an environment where school pride abounds, and students and teachers feel safe, secure, and valued."
Cynthia Broughton, a teacher at Colonial Village, said "Smilinich without an assistant principal to help him, change a disillusioned, spirally downward elementary school to a school of hope and vision. His leadership is just short of a miracle."
Smilinich received his bachelor of science degree in sociology, masters in elementary education, and advanced certification in educational leadership from the University at Buffalo.