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SCARSDALE, N.Y. Scarsdale High School has chosen Kenneth Bonamo to take over as principal of Scarsdale High School starting with the 2012-13 school year.
Bonamo, principal of the selective Townshend Harris High School in New York City since 2008, will fill the position left vacant by the resignation a year ago of John Klemme, who held the position for 13 years. The principal's duties have been handled in the interim by Fred Goldberg and Kelley Hamm.
Bonamo, according to Scarsdale Schools Superintendent Michael McGill, comes highly recommended by colleagues, parents and supervisors, who said he has "championed an education for the new century, upheld high standards for learning and behavior and restored a sense of leadership."
Bonamo was not available for comment.
Townsend Harris High was ranked as the nation's 53rd best high school in the U.S. News & World Report ratings released Tuesday. The school was also rated No. 8 in New York. The New York Post recently ranked the school as No. 1 in New York City.
Scarsdale's search for a new principal began in December. A screening committee of teachers, parents and administrators interviewed 27 candidates out of a field of more than 75, according to McGill.
"After two initial rounds of interviews and preliminary reference checks, semi-finalists came to the district for day-long interviews that involved more than 70 students, parents and teachers," McGill said. "My recommendation to appoint Mr. Bonamo followed further reference checks, a visiting team journey to his school and a meeting with our board of education. There was a strong consensus that he is the right person to take the school forward into the 2000s."
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