Deborah Gallant, the assistant principal for Minisink Valley Intermediate/Elementary schools, has been named principal of Minisink Valley Elementary School.
Mrs. Gallant officially assumes her new role on Aug. 2, following the retirement of Colleen Fitzgerald, who has served in this position for 10 years.
“Mrs. Gallant is an experienced educator who has the knowledge, experience and genuine love for children,” said Superintendent Brian Monahan. “She is an enthusiastic, creative and passionate leader, mentor and advisor who believes all children can learn and thrive in a learning environment that is welcoming, stimulating, comforting and appropriate to their unique talents and abilities”
Mrs. Gallant joined Minisink Valley in 1998 as a fifth-grade teacher. In that role, she touched the lives of many students and families, some of which remain in contact with her.
During that time, she was yearbook advisor for six years, working with students to create a book that students cherished. Additionally, Mrs. Gallant was the school’s fifth-grade chairperson for seven years.
Since 2014, Mrs. Gallant has been the assistant principal at the elementary and intermediate schools, where she made the role of assistant principal her own. Mrs. Gallant helped students, faculty, staff and families bridge the gap between the elementary and intermediate schools. From March 2020 until July 2020, she served as the elementary school’s interim principal.
Mrs. Gallant is known for using a balanced blend of motivational and targeted instruction methodologies to enhance curricula, focusing on the three “Rs”: Rigor, relevancy and relationships. She has worked closely with parents throughout her career, fostering parental involvement to maintain a positive home/school relationship. She works with children using a visionary approach with consistency to help students past the threshold of “not-knowing to knowing” so they develop to their fullest extent.
“I’m thrilled and humbled to take on this new position,” she said. “I’m grateful to Ms. Fitzgerald for her support of my work all these years and to district administration and the Board of Education for the trust they have in me to provide the best possible educational experience for our kindergarteners, first-graders and second-graders. I want our school’s parents to know we have such dedicated and talented educators and staff here who understand the importance of working with our students to maximize their individual abilities for academic success and achievement.”
Mrs. Gallant holds master’s degree in educational leadership from Long Island University, and earned her bachelor’s degree from Mount Saint Mary College. She is also certified as a New York State School Building leader and a New York State School District leader.