June 1, 2023
On June 13, the New Hartford Central School District Board of Education plans to appoint Brian Rio to be the next Secondary Dean of Students at Ralph W. Perry Junior High School and Stacy Pekala to be the next Robert E. Myles Elementary School principal.
Brian Rio
Mr. Rio is currently an English language arts teacher for grade 7 at Perry. He will continue in his current position through the end of the 2022-23 school year and begin in his new role July 1.
Mr. Rio has worked in the district since 2019 and has 10 years of experience working in education.
After earning his Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Masters of Arts Degree in Adolescent English Education, both from Hunter College, he served as a teacher in the Brookfield Central School District.
He has spent the last four years of his career teaching at Perry. During that time, he earned his Certificate of Advanced Study in School Leadership from the State University of New York at Cortland and served as an administrative intern with the New Hartford Central School District, where he completed projects on grading practices and Academic Intervention Services instruction.
“I am excited to take on this new role at Perry and help maintain a positive, productive school environment where all students can learn and succeed,” said Mr. Rio.
Mr. Rio and his family are district residents and his two children attend New Hartford schools.
Stacy Pekala
Mrs. Pekala grew up in Yorkville and attended New York Mills Jr./Sr. High School. From there, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Childhood Education and Master of Science degree in Literacy Education, both from the State University of New York at Cortland. She then earned her Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Utica College.
“I look forward to working with the students, families and staff at Myles Elementary as we continue to focus on a quality learning environment,” said Mrs. Pekala.
Mrs. Pekala has 18 years of experience working in education.
She served as a teacher in the New York Mills and Utica City school districts before taking on an administrative role. She worked as the chairperson and administrator for the Committee on Preschool Special Education and Committee on Special Education in Utica.
Most recently, she has been the assistant principal at Thomas R. Proctor High School in Utica since 2019.
She has earned several Professional New York State Certifications including Advanced Study School Building Leader, Literacy Grades 5-12, Advanced Study School District Leader, Literacy Birth-Grade 6 and Childhood Education Grades 1-6.
Mrs. Pekala lives in Whitesboro with her husband, Marc and two children, Cecilia and Angelo. She will start her role as the principal at Myles in July.
“Stacy and Brian bring professionalism and dedication to the New Hartford Central School District,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Cosimo Tangorra Jr. “I am happy to have them as part of the team as we focus on student and staff success.”
