The Holley Board of Education appointed William Ottman as elementary principal at its July 23 meeting. He has served as elementary assistant principal since October 2006. Before joining the Holley School District, Ottman was director of science for East Irondequoit Central Schools, a position he held for six years. He's also worked for Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES as a science instructional specialist in the Elementary Science Program and for Strasenburgh Planetarium as a science teacher. Ottman holds a bachelor's degree in secondary education from SUNY Fredonia, a master's in elementary education from Nazareth College, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Administration from SUNY Brockport. Ottman has also served as a Kendall Board of Education member, an adjunct professor teaching elementary science methods at Nazareth College, and an Intermediate Level Science Assessment question writer and reviewer for the State Education Department. He has presented over 15 science workshops in Rochester and across the country. "It is with great enthusiasm that I accept the appointment as principal," said Ottman. "I've enjoyed working with the teachers, parents, and students as the assistant principal last year and look forward to making the transition to principal." Ottman said his focus this year will be to continue implementing the English Language Arts (ELA) and mathematics programs adopted last school year. He is also looking to create a program that is aligned both within each grade level and between grade levels. To help implement this program, the school schedule has been revised to include common planning times for grade level teachers and large blocks of time for students to receive targeted ELA instruction. "I'm confident that with the right amount of support and planning that the teachers will be successful, resulting in academic gains for all of the students in Holley," he added. "I looked forward to working with Bill Ottman and the entire elementary school community as we strive for continuos improvement in all that we do," said Superintendent Robert D'Angelo. "I'm confident that under his leadership the building will continue to move forward. A Hilton graduate, Ottman and his wife, Rebecca, live in Clarkson. Rebecca teaches fourth grade in the Hilton school district. © August 5, 2007 - Westside News Inc. |
