John DeFazio, who is the Principal of Mont Pleasant Middle School in the Schenectady City School District since the 2023-24 school year was unanimously appointed the new Assistant Principal of Kelley Intermediate School by the Newark Board of Education November 19th.
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He filled the vacancy November 24th created by former AP Christina Sullivan, who was promoted last month to the position of Principal of Kelley School.
“I am thrilled to join the Newark School District as the new Assistant at Kelley Intermediate School,” DeFazio said on the first day of his new job. “Together, we will continue to cultivate an inclusive and engaging learning environment where every student is empowered to reach their fullest potential. I believe in collaboration, innovation, and the power of community to drive success. I look forward to partnering with students, families, and staff to create a supportive atmosphere that inspires curiosity and fosters academic achievement.”
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome John DeFazio to our Kelley School team,” Christina Sullivan said. “Mr. DeFazio brings a strong record of leadership, student advocacy, and collaboration to our community. With his extensive experience in education and his innate ability to build meaningful relationships with students, staff, and families, he is a great fit for our school. We look forward to the positive impact he will make as he helps advance our mission of fostering a supportive, engaging, and inclusive learning environment for all.”
“John brings a tremendous amount of experience that I believe will be invaluable at the Kelley School,” said Superintendent Susan Hasenauer. “His ability to build partnerships with families, students and staff will help continue to build that sense of community that the Kelley School exudes daily.”
Before becoming Principal of Mont Pleasant Middle School, he was Principal of the grades 9-12 Schenectady Career & Leadership Academy during the 2022-2023 school year. During the 2021-22 school year, he was Principal of Geneva Middle School. Before that, he was Assistant Principal of the grade 6-12 East High School for five years and after that was the PreK through 8th grade School No. 19 in the Rochester City School District for three years.
Prior to become an administrator, DeFazio was the Social Studies Department Instructional Coach at RCSD’s East High School for three years.
Before that assignment, he was a social studies teacher at John Marshall High School for six years and then taught at East High School for four years
DeFazio earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from SUNY Brockport, a Master of Science Degree in Adolescent Education from St. John Fisher College and a Master of Science Degree in Educational Leadership from SUNY Brockport.
He is certified both as a School Building and School District Leader as well as a Grades 7-12 Social Studies teacher.
DeFazio resides in Rochester with wife Adrienne, a Rochester realtor. The couple have three children, Giovanni, 20, Tessa 11 and Nicolo, 3.