Rochester Principal Honored for Outstanding Leadership in Elementary Education

ALBANY, NY (04/04/2014)(readMedia)-- Denise Rainey, principal of Frank Fowler Dow School #52 in the Rochester City School

District, has been selected as the 2014 recipient of the T. Walsh McQuillan Award by the School

Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS).

T. Walsh McQuillan served the children and educational leaders of New York State throughout his life. He

was the fist person to serve in joint capacity as executive secretary to the predecessors of SAANYS and

was an outstanding contributor to elementary education throughout his career. This award is given

annually to a SAANYS member and administrator who has strong leadership skills and has made

exceptional contributions to elementary education.

A long time educator and principal of this elementary school for the last 13 years, Rainey is known for her

creative out-of-the box style, bringing unique and innovative programs to her school community. In

particular, she worked with local organizations to establish a summer reading program for School 52 in

which more than 100 students have the opportunity to work one on one with community volunteers to

increase their reading skills. It was the first program of its kind within the City of Rochester. This program

has been highly effective in averting summer skill regression.

Another very successful and innovative program implemented by Rainey is her "Students of Opportunity"

initiative. This program takes students who are just at or close to the New York State threshold for

meeting academic standards and pairs them with a volunteer to work with them to reach set goals for

improvement. Because of Rainey's leadership and combined efforts, School 52 has since raised its

ranking from mid-level in the district to consistently among the top three elementary schools as

measured by the NYS ELA and math exams.

As noted by Bolgen Vargas, RCSD superintendent of schools, "As an educator, she has the utmost

understanding that it is the school's ultimate responsibility to educate the children, but that she cannot

do it alone. It is this conviction that has led her to establish one of the most vibrant school communities

in our district, with the support of volunteers, parents, and the business community."

Bruce Pollock, Rochester School 52 volunteer coordinator and executive director of Friends of

Educational Excellence Partnerships, Inc., commented "I've worked with Denise for years. She is a

delightful, dedicated, insightful, dynamic leader at School 52. I admire all that she's done there. Every

Rochester school should have a principal like Denise Rainey."

Rainey received her bachelors degree in performing arts for children from SUNY Brockport, her masters

in special education and learning disabilities from Nazareth College, and her advanced degree in

educational leadership from SUNY Brockport.

SAANYS represents nearly 7,200 school administrators, supervisors, and coordinators. As a professional

association, SAANYS is committed to providing direction, service, and support to the membership 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 (NAESP) and the National Association of

Secondary School Principals (NASSP).