A new school year is upon us and with it, there will be a new administrative team as the Roslyn School District gets ready for another successful year.
Karina Baez is the district’s new assistant superintendent for elementary education. Baez has been a member of the Roslyn school family since 2002, when she joined the faculty as a teacher of foreign languages. Since 2012, she has been department chairperson for World Languages and K-12 coordinator for English as a New Language. She holds bachelors and masters’ degrees from Queens College and also studied in her native Uruguay, where she taught English to elementary children. Baez began her new position on July 1.
Jessica Kemler joined the Roslyn school district in July as the new principal at Harbor Hill School. Kemler has worked as an assistant principal for the New York City Public Schools and most recently as principal of Babylon Elementary School in the Babylon School District since 2013. For a decade, she was an elementary teacher at P.S. 148 Q in East Elmhurst, Queens. She holds certifications in school administration, elementary education and special education. Kemler is a graduate of St. John’s University, holds a master’s degree in Education from Adelphi University, and is currently working towards her doctorate in administration and supervision. She takes the place of Gina Faust, who left Roslyn for a position in another district.
Rebecca Gottesman is the new director of guidance. She brings with her 17 years of experience as an educator, encompassing the broad range of responsibilities of the guidance department such as course selections and scheduling, crisis intervention and college applications. She served as district director of guidance in the Locust Valley school district from 2010—15, and for the last year was the chair for guidance at Great Neck South High School. Gottesman is an active member of associations that include both College Admissions Offices and Counselors Associations on the local, state and national levels. She has also been assistant principal for Special Education in the Three Village school district, and a counselor and testing coordinator in the Jericho school district. Gottesman is a graduate of Northeastern University with master’s degrees from Hofstra University and Touro College. She takes the place of Art Mandel, who retired at the end of June 2016.
Michael Browtowski took over at the end of May as the district’s director of physical education, athletics, recreation and health. For the previous three years, he was the director of athletics in the Southhold school district, where he also served as dean of students, and has also held administrative positions in the Plainedge school district. He began his education career as a teacher of physical education and health in Plainedge, where he also coached track and field, soccer and basketball. He has also been an adjunct professor at Suffolk Community College. Brostowski has a bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsberg University, a master’s degree from Stony Brook University and is matriculated in the educational administration doctoral program at St. John’s University. He replaced Tom Howard, who served as interim director since early in the 2015-16 school year.
Jennifer Sheehan is the new chair of World Languages. She has been teaching foreign languages for 14 years, first in New York City and at Westbury High School, and for the last 12 years in Roslyn. Sheehan is a graduate of Long Island University/C.W. Post, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish with a minor in French, a master’s degree in Spanish/secondary education and an advanced certificate in School District Leadership. She is taking the place of Karina Baez, who has assumed a new position in Central Administration.
—Submitted by the
Roslyn School District
