Recently,   Sterling Fite and I had the opportunity to sit down and interview Peekskill’s Interim Superintendent Dr. Lorenzo “Larry” Licopoli. Dr. Licopoli seems to have great goals for his time here, from a broad vision on embracing the diversity of our school district, to a personal goal to enable students, and an educational goal to have 100% of students to be at the appropriate levels of literacy by the end of grade three by the year 2019. Challenges in achieving these goals include identifying the best practices and approaches and preserving the programs that are vital to our school community.

Preservation also seems to be a prevalent theme in regards to the economy, particularly our budget. Dr. Licopoli notes that there is a need for sustainability in our money sources, and was excited to announce his plans to involve the students in the process of reforming the schools. He hopes to establish a program where students, with the help of a faculty advisor, can come together to identify and solve the problems they see and bring these solutions up to the Superintendent in a group discussion.

Dr. Licopoli’s plans for the guidance department include revamping it into a fully fledged, “state of the profession” department, including redesigning the physical space to make it more inviting and accessible to the students. When asked, “What do you think are the best attributes of an effective school leader?” he answered:”Someone who brings out the best in others, and believes in their students.”  Check out the video of the interview and let us know what you think!