Rae Montesano Named
STEM School Coach
Rae Montesano has been tapped as the Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School coach. She will provide instructional leadership and academic support throughout the upcoming school year. Huntington School Board members approved the appointment during a public meeting on August 5.
Ms. Montesano has been the Huntington School District’s chairperson of science and instructional technology, 7-12 in July 2011. She came to Huntington a year earlier, serving as district director of science and instructional technology, K-12.
While school officials continue to wait to learn the verdict on the district’s $11.7 STEM school grant application, preparations for the opening of the new school have continued unabated this summer. District facilities staff members are readying the building and teachers have been seen getting their materials, lesson plans and rooms in order.
Professional development sessions are scheduled for the teachers who will be delivering instruction during the school’s inaugural year. Enrollment is expected to total about 150 students spread across grades 3-5. There will be two classes in each of the three grades or a total of six in the school during its first year of operation. A lottery was used to select students after more than 300 applied for inclusion.
The new STEM school coach is an experienced educator. Ms. Montesano obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at Cornell University in 1976. She earned a Master of Science degree in education in 2000 at Hofstra University, where she secured state certification as an administrator in 2004.
“Ms. Montesano has been actively involved in the process since the STEM magnet school idea was first launched,” Huntington Superintendent James W. Polansky said. “She has played a role in curriculum and resource review and construction, establishing post-secondary and corporate connections, training and professional development, building preparation, and an array of administrative planning tasks in anticipation of an exciting year to come. She will surely continue to exert her positive influence on staff and students as we move forward.”
Prior to coming to Huntington, Ms. Montessano was the science chairperson (grades 6-12) in the Glen Cove City School District for four years. While there she was instrumental in coordinating programs with several colleges, including Harvard, as well as introducing innovative courses developed through this coordination.
Ms. Montessano has also worked as a science teacher in Harborfields from September 1999 to June 2006 and as a part-time science aide at North Shore High School in Nassau from September 1996 to August 1999. She participated in Eastern Suffolk BOCES summer curriculum writing projects in 2000 and 2001.
Of special importance to Ms. Montesano is what she calls her “three R’s”: Relationships, rigor, and relevancy. She maintains memberships in numerous professional organizations.