BY JENNIFER CROWLEY
When school starts this September for students at Wheatland-Chili, there will be a familiar face in the halls. Scottsville resident and former Wheatland-Chili administrator Daniel Murray, Ed.D, has been chosen as the district’s new K-12 Assistant Principal. He is replacing Kristina Henry who decided to return to a position with the Rochester City School District.
Dr. Murray re-joins the Wheatland-Chili administration from The Genesee Valley Educational Partnership where he served as Director of Programs. In that role he had oversight for services offered in the areas of Alternative, Career & Technical and Special Education. Prior to that Dr. Murray was the Superintendent of the York Central School District for over seven years. He joined the York district after working in Wheatland-Chili as the Middle School Principal and prior to that, the K-12 Director of Curriculum.
As the K-12 Assistant Principal, Dr. Murray will assist T. J. Connor Elementary Principal Margaret Wright and Middle/High School Principal Eric Windover with day-to-day operations at both schools. He will also be involved in helping implement district-wide initiatives. “Looking to the 2018-2019 school year, a major focus for the administration, teachers and staff is to successfully roll-out a new Code of Character, Conduct, and Support. This document, created with the input of many stakeholders, clearly outlines expected behaviors, consequences, and supports that we have in place. Parents, all school employees, and students each play an important role in making sure that we have the strongest and safest learning environments possible,” explained Dr. Murray.
Dr. Murray and his wife Elizabeth have lived in Scottsville for nearly 20 years. Together the couple have five children, four daughters (two Wheatland-Chili graduates and two current students at the high school) and a son (who recently graduated from Keuka College). Given his familiarity with the school system, students, parents, resources and opportunities, Dr. Murray is quite well-suited to the position. As for what he sees as the greatest opportunity for the district, his answer is a simple one: to fully embrace and capitalize on the great things the district already has.
“Wheatland-Chili offers students access to top-notch educational, artistic, athletic, and other extracurricular endeavors. Given the smaller school size and these opportunities, usually if a student wants to try something new, there is the chance to do so. I believe our graduating students are very well-rounded because of this. It is something I take great pride in as a school official, parent, and taxpayer,” he added.
Dr. Murray has been previously featured in The Sentinel for his serious hobby as a chef. “Dr. Chef Dan” (as he is known) has built quite a reputation for his culinary arts passion and ability. He just finished working as a catering attendant at the Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher and earlier this year was featured on WXXI’s program “Double Lives” highlighting his hybrid identity as chef and scholar. In 2016 he successfully made his way onto an episode of the Food Network series, “Cooks vs. Cons.”
Despite his love for cooking and considerable culinary talent, Dr. Murray’s heart is loyal to the field of education. “All of my experiences as a teacher and administrator over the past 22 years have made me a calm and rational decision maker. That said, I still get jazzed by learning something new every day. I am excited to be back in a role that will have me working closer with students. I know that is my strong suit and what I have the most drive for.”
