Terry Clark Appointed New
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Technology

Terry Clark has been appointed as the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction and Technology for the Bethpage School District. For the past three years, Mr. Clark has served as the Director for Technology and Telecommunications in Bethpage. Prior to that, he served in the dual capacity as the Supervisor for Social Studies and Technology.

Mr. Clark arrived in Bethpage in 1985 and taught for eight years as a Social Studies teacher at Bethpage High School. He was a popular AP History teacher who also founded the school's Student Civic Association and its annual Senior Citizen Prom. As a teacher, Mr. Clark effectively incorporated technology into his instruction and transformed his Social Studies lessons into more hands-on, reality-based experiences for students. He broadened student exposure to world events through resources such as the Internet and videoconferencing while other districts were just beginning to learn about this technology.

As a result of his vision and leadership, Mr. Clark has built one of the most sophisticated computer networks of any school district on Long Island here in Bethpage. This includes more than 1000 computers and a gigabit Ethernet Wide Area Network. Following Mr. Clark's suggestion, the District was also among the first to implement a Voice over IP phone system, which has saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in its first three years of operation. Mr. Clark was also at the forefront of the creation of Bethpage High School's Academy of Technology, which allows students to take courses in Cisco Networking, Graphic Design, Computer Programming, Web Design, and Multimedia. These are among the professions that are shaping the world and corporate marketplace today.

"The real payoff has been for the students who have to enter today's job market with high level technology skills," said Mr. Clark. "The Bethpage Academy of Technology is now one of the strongest programs in the school and is widely recognized for the learning opportunities provided to students."

Key to the success of the Academy has been the ability to provide unique enrichment opportunities to students. Students in the Academy are able to take tours of the Lightpath Network Operating Center, listen to guest speakers from Dell Computer, have their web pages critiqued by Cablevision Webmasters, tour graphic design houses, and participate in hands-on simulations at the local Cisco Systems headquarters. The partnerships established between the District and these companies are a result of Mr. Clark's hard work and desire to provide the most meaningful school-to-career experiences for Bethpage students.

Although he is assuming a greater leadership role in his new position, Mr. Clark will continue to serve as the web master for the District's website (www.bethpagecommunity.com), which was recently named a Cool School site by Newsday. "The website is a way for us to recognize the talents of our teachers and students and to celebrate the tremendous community we have here in Bethpage," added Mr. Clark.

Mr. Clark has been a featured speaker around the country at events such as the National Education Computer Conference, the National School Boards Association Technology Conference and the New York State Computers and Technology in Education Conference. He is also the published author of New York: A Documentary (Teacher's Guide) published by PBS that accompanied a 12 hour PBS series on the history of New York City.

Consequently, Mr. Clark's accomplishments have not gone unsung. He has been the recipient of many awards, including Administrator of the Year from the Nassau School Library System, Educator of the Year from the Bethpage Rotary Club, the Long Island Innovative Educator of the Year from Phi Delta Kappan, the John Masino Award for Dedication to Youth of Bethpage, and the Jenkins Memorial Life Membership Award from the Bethpage PTA.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Richard Marsh had served as the Assistant Superintendent for Instruction for the past five years until his appointment to the Superintendency this past Spring.