Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School in Oyster Bay-East Norwich welcomes in a new principal

With the start of the scholastic year right around the corner, Devra Small, the new principal at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School, says she can’t wait. Small, who has made the move from the North Shore Central School District, said she has ambitious goals for Roosevelt students, and is looking forward to getting to know them and their families.

Originally from Setauket, in Suffolk County, Small, 53, earned a degree in English from Williams College, went on to complete a master’s at Teachers College, Columbia University’s graduate school of education, and finally received a Certificate of Advanced Study in educational administration from Hofstra University in 1993.

Afterward, Small worked in the Harborfields Central School District in Suffolk, in a variety of teaching roles. In 2004 she switched to the Mineola Union Free School District, serving as the principal of its elementary school for 11 years.

Most recently, Small was the director of elementary humanities in the North Shore district. While she said she loved her time there, she was excited when she heard about the opening at TR Elementary, because she had missed the bonds she developed with students and parents as a principal.

“I am very excited to come to Oyster Bay, partly because I’ve always loved being a principal,” Small said. “I loved the work I was doing at the North Shore, I loved the community, but I had missed the closeness with students and parents that you have when you’re the principal of a building.”

Small added that she was particularly excited to be working with children at such a critical juncture in their educational experience. Working with students in this age group, she said, presents “an opportunity to start them well on their educational journey by making sure that all students acquire the skills they will need for their future.”

One of her top priorities will be ensuring that all TR Elementary students develop essential reading skills. This is especially important, because reading levels among young students have dropped nationwide, partly due to the coronavirus pandemic, which negatively impacted students in every age group across all subjects.

Another important area of focus for Small is making sure the school feels like a second home for its students. She said that elementary school can be a scary step for young children who have spent all their time with their parents, and that by engaging with the students, as in the weekly “story time” reading sessions she has been hosting, she hopes to make the transition easy for them and encourage a lifelong love of learning.

“I am passionate that school should always be a place where children feel at home, and where they have fun by learning actively,” Small said. “I will be working with the staff on making sure that we have the best early-literacy instruction possible, drawing on research-based strategies to ensure that our students all learn to read.”

Francesco Ianni, the superintendent of the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District, said it was Small’s extensive experience in education that made her stand out among the TR Elementary applicants. He added that because she has been a principal and a director of elementary humanities, “she has the full picture of how a school should work.”

In addition, Ianni said, Small evinced an obvious passion for the students from early in the selection process, and since she started work on Aug. 3, he said, she has made her presence felt among the staff and parents in the district.

“One of the most important things that came across is how much she cares about the students and the passion she has for each one,” Ianni said. “I think she’s going to be a tremendous asset to our students, to our families, and to the entire district.”

Laurie Kowalsky, president of the district Board of Education, said that Small was in many ways a perfect candidate for the job, and that the board was excited to have her in the district. Kowalsky touted Small’s experience as an important factor in her selection, but also emphasized that her kindness and attentiveness to the students made a large impact.

“She’s very personable with wanting to get to know every child and all the parents, which is really nice to see,” Kowalsky said. “I’m very, very excited to have her start at the elementary school.”