Peter Dalton of Massapequa Park, who is taking the helm of Nassau BOCES Barry Tech, brings more than 20 years of diverse and invaluable experience with him to the position. Having served a leadership role in both the New York state educational system and the United States Air Force, he is well equipped to lead Barry Tech to even greater success.
Dalton comes to Barry Tech on the heels of a six-year tenure as assistant principal of Sewanhaka High School.
“The model is similar to that of Nassau BOCES,” said Dalton. “We had students from five different high schools—five different school cultures—just as Barry Tech serves students from districts throughout Long Island.”
Before that, Dalton was the founding principal of the Knowledge and Power Preparatory Academy VI, a successful Title I school in the New York City school system, where he served for four years. He instituted some of the guiding principles he learned in the Air Force, taking a military approach to instruction.
In the Air Force, Dalton served as a search and rescue pilot. He was selected as a member of the Honor Cordon for his Officer Candidate Class, a distinction he earned for his “outstanding demonstration of integrity, resilience and leadership.” Dalton sees many of the core values of the Air Force embodied in Nassau BOCES, specifically, “integrity and excellence.”
“Barry Tech is a phenomenal school,” said Dalton. “The name leads the way in career and technical education. If I had a Barry Tech available to me as a kid, there’s no question I would have gladly attended to get a jump start on my dream of becoming a pilot.”
In his inaugural year as principal, Dalton said that he is “excited to learn” and looks forward to discovering each program firsthand, building relationships with teachers, and working with the administrative team on the areas that need the most focus.
“I want to make a significant contribution to what they are doing here,” he said. “Through education and life experiences, I can take a fresh look at what we’re doing, to help this school to go from great to even better.”
Within the school, Dalton plans to focus on instruction.
“I’ve heard wonderful things about the teachers,” he said. “There is a sense of professional trust that they share and all of them are experts in their chosen fields. Every teacher has a set of skills. I want to help them to improve those skills.”
Dalton has nearly 10 years of experience as a teacher. He is a member of the School Administrators Association of New York State, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the Association of Career and Technical Education Administrators. He holds a degree in educational administration from Baruch College, as well as a master’s and bachelor’s degree from St. John’s University.
—Submitted by BOCES
