JANUARY 20, 2023 — Mrs. Heather Randell, who joined the Lyons Central School District at the start of the 2022-23 school year as an Instructional Coach, has now been appointed Interim Assistant Principal at Lyons Elementary School. Mrs. Randell's appointment is as a teacher on special assignment, completing an internship in the interim position through June 30, 2023.
Mrs. Randell came to Lyons after teaching at Brockport High School for the last four years as a Biology and Chemistry teacher. Over the course of her 20-year teaching career, she has also taught Living Environment and Chemistry and worked as an Assistant Principal at the Brighton Central School District.
Making the switch from teaching in the classroom to helping other teachers as an Instructional Coach was a big decision to make, Mrs. Randell said. But after considering her teaching expertise and knowing that she had more to offer, switching into a more administrative role started to appeal to her.
“I was looking for the next chapter and I knew I was ready for more,” she said. “Instructional coaching, I believe, is the way of the future. So when I saw this opportunity, I knew I had to jump on it.”
Instructional coaching, Mrs. Randell said, was exciting because of the unique opportunities it presented.
“We are still teachers, and we still support instruction to be the absolute best ever, but we do not take part in evaluating any of the teachers,” she said. “My sole job is to support a teacher, whether they’re a 30-year veteran or they’re straight out of the gate — and I love that.”
Assistant Principal Katie Jo Passero is leaving the District for a new opportunity at the Hilton Central School District. Her last day was Friday, Jan. 13.
When Mrs. Randell learned that there would be an opening as Assistant Principal, she knew she wanted to throw her hat in the ring. There are a lot of parallels between being an Instructional Coach and an Assistant Principal, she said, she knew she could bring a lot of experience and enthusiasm to the role.
“If you told me a year ago when I was a science teacher at a high school that I’d be an assistant principal at an elementary school, I would never have believed it,” she said. “I thought I would mourn the teaching, but I’m still working with kids and supporting them — now even in more profound ways.”
Mrs. Randell is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Literacy Education at SUNY Brockport. She lives in Fairport with her husband, and has three children and three cats.