Leadership Rockland Class of 2025 Includes TZHS Teacher

Tappan Zee High School English teacher Chris Novak recently completed Leadership Rockland, the competitive, 10-month program which offers local leaders exposure to the various facets of, and complex issues facing, Rockland County. 

“I was motivated to apply to Leadership Rockland both personally and professionally, having grown up in the county where I now live,” Novak explained. “I enjoy professional development and applying what I learn to become a better educator. I’m used to participating in professional development with other teachers, which is valuable; but being with a group of people working in other fields–I learned so much.”

With a number of his fellow cohort members hailing from local nonprofit organizations, Novak was able to apply what he learned to the new Freshman Seminar course, which he co-developed with a team of TZHS colleagues last year. He also plans to leverage his expanded network to help students connect with local nonprofits through clubs, career exploration events and Freshman Seminar.

“Leadership Rockland presents a very unique opportunity for professional development. Because the focus of the program is to provide participants with a greater understanding of our county and to give them the opportunity to broaden their professional network I see it as a great vehicle for teachers and administrators to learn about resources that can benefit their schools and, most importantly, their students,” said Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Rudy Arietta, Ed.D, a 2022 Leadership Rockland alumnus. “In education, we often look to the usual sources of professional development, which are beneficial, but it is also important to see how we can learn from other industries and to make connections between our schools and those sectors. Leadership Rockland provides that. All teachers are leaders in their classrooms; this gives them an opportunity to expand their influence and learn from other leaders countywide.”

Novak values the support he received from the District in this endeavor. “I’m finishing my tenth year here and my fifteenth year teaching overall,” he said. “As I enter the ‘veteran teacher’ phase of my career, it’s time to take the torch and look for new ways to contribute with the experience and contacts that I’ve developed.”