Michael Athy Photo by Nathan Duke
Athy, who previously taught English at Jamaica's Hillcrest High School, became Bayside High School's 14th principal this fall following the recent retirement of Judith Tarlo, who presided over the school's 3,900 students for seven years.
Athy, who grew up in Flushing but lives in Jamaica, said he would focus on expanding programs that already exist at the school as well as creating a college awareness program and setting up an online system to track student progress.
He said the school's solid rates of attendance, graduation and acceptances at four-year colleges draw students from around the borough.
“I'm trying to deepen what the school has already been doing,” he said. “It would be hard to find a neighborhood in Queens that we don't have a few kids from, of which we are proud. Queens is the most diverse county in the United States and we are right in the middle of it.”
Athy previously owned a company that specialized in international trading expositions, but several years of taking part in the Parent-Teacher Association at his daughter's middle school and high school led him to pursue a career in education.
He worked for five years at Hillcrest High School, teaching English to grades 9-12 and writing grants for the school.
But he said he believed he could reach a larger audience as a principal.
“You are able to impact a lot more kids [as a principal] than as a teacher,” he said. “You can impact an entire community. The golden rule for teachers is that they should treat their students as their own kids. It guides you on how to develop them, calm them down and excite them.”
Athy said he plans to institute a college awareness program at the school this fall. He said the program would enable freshmen to begin considering career paths and possible choices for colleges rather than forcing juniors and seniors to cram these decisions in with their regular workload.
“I want to expand our range of college-level classes and tie the community together with the school by getting our kids into internships,” he said.
Athy said he also intends to launch an eChalk program at the school, through which students would post their assignments, syllabus and reading lists. The program would also allow parents to view their recent report cards, current grades and attendance records.
“It gives a whole new level of access to parents,” he said. “It eliminates the 'out sick on Tuesday' excuse.”
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
