Bronxville UFSD Shift in Principal Roles

Brad Ashley

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bronxville Union Free School District Announces Shift in Key Administrative Positions

Elementary School Principal Moves to Middle School While Elementary Assistant Principal Advances to Role of Principal

BRONXVILLE, NY, July 20, 2022 -- The Bronxville Union Free School District announced today that Mr. Joe Mercora and Ms. Rakiya Adams will become the Principals of the Bronxville Middle and Elementary schools, respectively. The positions were approved by the Board of Education at a special meeting last evening. The Board had accepted the resignation for the purpose of retirement from former Bronxville Middle School Principal Dr. Thomas Wilson, a role he held since 2012, at its meeting on July 7, 2022.


Mr. Mercora, who has been serving as the Bronxville Elementary School Principal, and Ms.
Adams, the current Assistant Principal, will begin their new roles on August 8, 2022. The district will commence a search for the Assistant Principal position for the elementary school and anticipates having the role filled in August.

“I am incredibly pleased that our district has such high-caliber and well-regarded administrators, enabling us to bring Mr. Mercora and Ms. Adams into these important roles and have students continue to benefit from their leadership and commitment to their education and well-being,” said Superintendent Dr. Roy Montesano.

Mr. Mercora joined the Bronxville schools in July of 2021 and quickly established himself as an administrator dedicated to building relationships with colleagues, students and the community.  Prior to that he spent 14 years in the Nyack Public Schools, with six as the Principal of the Upper Nyack Elementary School and eight years as the Assistant Principal of the district’s Middle School. Mr. Mercora began his career in Administration serving as the Principal of Saint Barnabas High School in the Bronx. Prior to that he worked as a Social Studies teacher at both the middle and high school level. Mr. Mercora holds two Master's Degrees in Education - one in School Administration and Supervision and the other in Social Studies Education. He also holds a Bachelor's Degree in History ,all of which he obtained from Iona College.

Mr. Mercora says that he is honored to become the Middle School Principal and is eager to get to know every student. “Middle school is such an exciting time of life for students, as they begin discovering their passions and further establishing themselves as students,” said Principal Mercora. “My goal is to create an environment in which students feel safe and comfortable being who they are.”

Ms. Adams has served as the Assistant Principal at Bronxville Elementary School since the
2019-2020 school year. In this role she helped to establish and oversee the district’s work with Columbia University’s Teacher’s College Reading and Writing Project and Innovative Designs for Education (IDE), which provides a range of activities for interdisciplinary learning. Ms. Adams is also a member of the school’s Culture Committee which focuses on social emotional learning (SEL) and positive behavior intervention support (PBIS). She came to Bronxville from P.S 567 Linden Tree Elementary School in New York City where she was an Instructional Math Coach and Resource Specialist for eight years. Prior to that, Ms. Adams was the Education Director at Mosholu Montefiore Head Start Program. Ms. Adams is currently a Doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership, Administration and Policy (Ed.D.) at Fordham University. She earned her Master of Science, Early Childhood Education and Special Education from Touro College School of Education and her Bachelor of Arts, Computer Science and History from Southern Connecticut State University.

Ms. Adams, who ascribes to a distributive leadership philosophy, is committed to collaboration and active listening. She says: “I am extremely appreciative to be taking on the role of Principal and for the opportunity to work with such a fantastic team of student-centered professionals. The Bronxville community is incredibly cohesive and its residents are truly invested in our schools and one another. It’s an honor to work here.”


“On behalf of the Board of Education, we congratulate Mr. Mercora and Ms. Adams on these
new roles and are grateful to have them playing such a vital role in our district,” said Board of
Education President Susan Conniff.


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