A New Adventure

Dear RCHS Family.

For the past 13 years, Rachel Carson High School has been led by a wonderful leader and person in Principal Edward Wilensky. He has led RCHS to academic success, fostered a warm and welcoming school environment, and procured millions of dollars to upgrade and build new facilities. I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with him for these past 13 years, 8 as a classroom teacher at Rachel Carson High School and the past five as an assistant principal. Principal Wilensky decided to retire at the end of this past school year after 41 years of outstanding service in education and it is my honor to have been chosen to succeed him as principal of Rachel Carson High School.

I have been teaching and working in the New York City Department of Education as a teacher and school leader for the past 16 years. In that time I have learned a lot about the way students learn best and the conditions students need in order to foster their success. In my new role, I plan to ensure that we meet the needs of every single student at every level and in every corner of our school community.

Our goals moving forward are to ensure that all students are equitably exposed to a rigorous, relevant, and exciting curriculum that embeds students in the process of real-world problem solving. We will provide students with opportunities to engage in science research or computer science, provide students with access to current and new opportunities to acquire college credit during their years in our school, support students in college and career research and with their transition to life outside of high school, and foster an environment where students feel welcome and are excited to be.

Additionally, I want you to know how important your voice will be in helping our school to continually move forward and improve. If we agree that Rachel Carson High School can, should, and will be one of the best small public high schools in the city, the only way that we will achieve that goal is together. As such, I will routinely invite parents to our school to meet with me and to share valuable feedback in an effort to make our school the best it possibly can be for our students and families. I hope to see you all at our monthly PTA meetings and hope that you will be open and candid with me in your concerns and criticisms.

I am so excited to be a part of the next chapter of our great school and will work tirelessly with our assistant principals, teachers, and staff to ensure that we meet the needs of every student, every day.

Sincerely,

Stephen McNally

Principal (IA)

Rachel Carson High School for Coastal Studies