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MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017
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Dear Summit Parents,
In February, we shared John Renner's announcement that this school year would be his last as Director of The Summit School after thirty-two years of distinguished service. With the end of the 2016-17 school year approaching, we now would like to share our news with everyone concerning upcoming administrative, clinical, and educational team changes effective July 1, 2017.
At the Upper School, I am pleased to announce key changes in Summit's administrative and clinic leadership. Allison Edwards has been named Principal Intern and is expected to receive her advanced certificate in school building leadership from St. John's University in January 2018. She is a licensed clinical social worker and has worked at The Summit School for thirteen years. Transferring from the Lower School, Sherri Bordoff will assume the role of Upper School Clinic Director and oversee the important work of our psychologists, social workers, and occupational therapists. She is a licensed clinical social worker and has helped to shape and implement many of Summit's counseling and behavior management strategies during her thirty-five years at Summit.
I am also pleased to announce that at the Lower School Dennis Moeller has been promoted to Assistant Principal. Dennis brings thirteen years of experience with him from teaching at Summit that will guide his transition from the classroom to administration. He earned his master's degree in educational administration in 2014 from St. John's University. He will continue to work closely with Karen Frigenti, Lower School Principal. On the clinic side, Lacy Ostrander, who joined Summit in 2001, will assume the new role of Senior Social Worker and will oversee the counseling team of social workers and the day-to-day integration of these related services for our students. Rita Quintas, who serves as Lower School Curriculum Specialist and has been a part of Summit's staff since 1982, will now assume expanded teaching responsibilities by continuing the coordination of Spanish instruction and taking on the development and implementation of our new home and career skills program that will be rolled out as part of our middle school curriculum in September 2017. This new course will help our students acquire the skills needed to think constructively, make sound decisions, solve problems, and manage resources as family and community members, consumers, and wage earners.
We are extremely fortunate to have the depth of commitment that allows us to promote from within Summit and continue to permit our students and staff to benefit from our team's talents. Please join me in congratulating Allison, Sherri, Dennis, Lacy, and Rita as they assume their new and expanded responsibilities at The Summit School and continue to help our students learn, grow, and achieve success.
Throughout this transition, I will assume full administrative/principal responsibility and oversight of the schools and continue to provide additional encouragement to our families, students, and staff.
Sincerely yours,
Richard Sitman
Executive Director
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More About Summit Staff
Allison Edwards is a licensed clinical social worker. She is currently attending St. John's University to complete the coursework required to achieve an advanced certificate in school building leadership that she expects to receive in January 2018. Allison earned her master's degree in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2000 and completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Connecticut in 1998.
Allison joined The Summit School in 2004. Initially she started as a school social worker, and then assumed the role of Upper School Clinic Director in 2010. Throughout her tenure at Summit, Allison has provided individual and group counseling to students; supervised the clinical team; conducted multiple professional development presentations to students, staff, and parents; acted as liaison between the school, community agencies, and outside service providers; and collaborated with the administrative team to develop programs that meet the emotional, academic, and social needs of our students. Allison is the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Coordinator for the Upper School and has attended professional training sessions regarding bullying, cyberbullying, and harassment.
Allison and her husband Paul are proud parents of two active boys, Blake, age 8, and Reed, age 6. They enjoy being outdoors, playing basketball, and swimming. They frequently visit family in northeastern Pennsylvania, where Allison grew up.  Sherri Bordoff is a licensed clinical social worker. She attended St. John's University where she received her master's degree in school building leadership. She earned a master's degree in social work from New York University and upon graduation became a certified social worker. Sherri completed her undergraduate studies at Queens College where she received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and elementary education. Sherri joined The Summit School in May 1982 as a social worker at the Lower School. She was promoted to Assistant Clinic Director in 1995 and continued to provide school-based counseling to students until she was named Lower School Clinic Director in 2003. As a member of the administrative team, she helps to manage the day-to-day functions of the Lower School. In addition to coordinating crisis management, she implemented the Lower School's current behavior management system and oversees the program's budget, data generation and records, students' goals, and behavioral interventions and classroom-based strategies. She supervises the school-based counseling program as mandated by students' IEPs. Sherri also developed our social skills curriculum and our 8th Grade Moving Up initiative, a yearlong program that she manages to ensure a successful transition to high school for Summit students. Sherri is the Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Coordinator for the Lower School and has attended professional training sessions regarding bullying, cyberbullying, and harassment. Prior to Summit, she worked as a school social worker at the Samuel Field YM-YWHA where she also managed summer and winter recreational services and provided therapeutic services for people with developmental disabilities and their families and supervised social work interns. Outside of Summit, Sherri has served as an adjunct professor at the graduate level at St. John's University and CUNY's Hunter College where she lectured on autism spectrum disorders. With New York University and the NYC's DOE, she provided program and behavioral consultation focusing on the education of students with Asperger's syndrome in a middle school setting.
While working at Summit, Dennis Moeller received his master's degree in educational administration in 2014 from St. John's University where he was awarded the Dean of St. John's Certificate of Achievement for his 4.0 GPA. He earned a master's degree in general education and special education from Touro College in 2010. He completed his Bachelor's of Arts in economics and education at SUNY's University of Albany in 2004. Dennis Moeller has called The Summit School home since 2004. In his first two years at Summit, he worked as an assistant teacher, which helped him gain the necessary tools to build trust with our students as well as the ability to effectively manage a classroom. As a teacher for the past eleven years, he has enjoyed working with our students and parents at the elementary school level and interfacing with other support staff and related service providers. Dennis also works as a teacher in Summit's REAP after-school program, served as coach of the boys' basketball team both junior varsity and varsity, and has served as staff advisor to the Lower School Student Council. Dennis is a proud husband and father to his wife Suzy and his two boys Brady (almost 4) and Cooper (8 months). In his free time, he enjoys wrestling with his sons, rooting for the New York Jets, running, and, most of all, spending time with his family. He is currently in training for the Long Island Marathon on May 7, 2017. Lacy Ostrander is a licensed master social worker. Lacy is a graduate of CUNY's Hunter College School of Social Work where she earned her master's degree in social work and achieved honors in casework and human behavior coursework. She completed her undergraduate degree at SUNY's University at Albany and graduated magna cum laude. During her tenure at Summit, Lacy has worked as a social worker in the Lower School Clinic, where she has helped to shape the social, emotional, and academic development of our students. For the past four years, she has been a participant in the application process for incoming students and their families. Lacy married her husband David while working at Summit, and they became the proud parents of two little social workers, Mia, age 8, and Cayla, age 5. In her spare time, she enjoys all things "Mia and Cayla," which include singing, dancing, bike riding, hiking, and spending time outdoors.Rita Quintas is a veteran special educator and has earned several advanced degrees, including a master's degree in school building leadership from St. John's University, her Master's in Professional Studies in creative arts therapies in special education from Pratt Institute, and a master's degree in special education from Adelphi University where she received the Dean's Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement in Special Education. Rita completed her undergraduate studies at the School of Visual Arts and earned a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in photography. Additionally, she is certified to Dr. Ross Greene's Crisis Intervention approach and is currently enrolled in professional development classes. Rita is currently the Curriculum Specialist and Spanish Teacher at Summit's Lower School. Her experience spans thirty-five years and is reflective of her education. She has held various positions, including assistant teacher, head teacher, art therapist, mathematics teacher, and advisor to the Lower School Student Council. Additionally, she has served as chaperone on several Lower School overnight trips to Space Camp, Sea World, Animal Kingdom, Intrepid, AMNH, Liberty Science Center, Mystic, and Frost Valley. Prior to Summit, she volunteered at the Rusk Institute where she adapted photography equipment for use with stroke and accident patients in the rehabilitation center. She also led art therapy sessions in a minimum-security women's correctional facility. Her professional memberships include Phi Delta Kappa International, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Council for Exceptional Children, and National Council for Social Studies. Rita works diligently to uncover her student's strengths and to inspire them to become lifelong learners, through confidence building, experience, and practice while having fun doing so.
In her spare time, Rita and her husband Bruce enjoy traveling abroad, hiking, kayaking, fitness, and photography.
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