ALBANY, NY (10/30/2007)(readMedia)-- Bonnie Tryon, principal at Golding Elementary School in the Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School District, was inducted as the 36th president of the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS) during the association’s annual conference in Saratoga Springs on October 15. Tryon will serve a two-year term from 2007 to 2009.
Tryon assumes the presidency from Mark Turner, elementary school principal in the Rush-Henrietta Central School District, who served from November 2006. Peter Kruszynski, middle school principal with the Lancaster Central School District, was named president-elect and will serve as SAANYS’ president from 2009 to 2010. Tryon is a long-time friend of SAANYS and, most importantly, a career advocate for public education. A SAANYS member since 1983, she has served SAANYS and its members as a regional chair, member of the Government Relations Committee, Awards Committee, Vanguard/Journal Editorial Board, and representative on the State Education Department’s NCLB Committee of Practitioners. In addition, she has been a very active member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), serving on its board of directors from 2002 to 2005.
SAANYS’ Executive Director Kevin Casey, in his introductory speech at Tryon’s induction banquet, stated, “Under Bonnie’s leadership, like Mark Turner’s before her, SAANYS will continue to first and foremost be an advocate for its members. We will be a source of assistance to them, however it may be needed. We will continue to encourage a culture where the visionary leadership is valued and is allowed to grow.” Tryon holds a bachelor’s degree in art education from the University of Georgia and a master’s in elementary education and a C.A.S. in education administration from SUNY Cortland. In her 30 years in education, Tryon has served students in New York State as a teacher, administrative staff specialist, adjunct professor, BOCES curriculum specialist, and elementary principal.
In her acceptance speech, Tryon spoke of her commitment to the association, her vision for the students of New York State, and her confidence in fellow SAANYS members. She said, in part, “New York State is comprised of 698 districts with over 4,200 public schools and over 3 million students. Now, it is our time to write a new chapter for these students. A chapter that finds our children in schools that are well-funded, with trained, compassionate teachers, and with more opportunities to learn than from the schools we attended. It is through the work of our talented 6,800 SAANYS members that this can happen. I will work hard for you to make this a reality.”
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SAANYS represents more than 6,900 school administrators, supervisors, and coordinators. As a professional association, SAANYS is committed to providing direction, service, and support to its members in their efforts to improve the quality of education and leadership in New York State schools. SAANYS is affiliated with the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals.