Please welcome Mr. Thomas Martin to Catskill Central School District. At its August 28 meeting, the Board of Education appointed Mr. Martin to serve as interim principal at Catskill High School for the duration of the 2024-25 school year. Martin has served students and families in New York State and Vermont for over forty years as a public school administrator, independent school leader, and teacher.
“As a teacher and administrator, I have always placed the highest priority on meeting the needs of all children and families by building positive productive relationships and seeking creative solutions when working with students, staff and families,” Martin said.
Martin has provided interim administration services to schools in the greater Capital Region ever since retiring from the Village School of North Bennington in 2016. He most recently completed two back-to-back interim administrative assignments for the Queensbury Union Free School District, serving as their interim middle school principal during the spring semester of the 2022-2023 school year and as the interim intermediate school assistant principal during the 2023-2024 school year.
At the Village School of North Bennington, Martin was the founding head of school and chief executive officer. Before that, he served as the elementary principal for North Bennington Graded School, where he led the transition of that school into the independent Village School of North Bennington. He also worked at Schuylerville Central School District for seventeen years, first as their elementary school principal and later as the high school principal, and spent 12 years teaching social studies at Queensbury Union Free School District, where he also coached football, basketball, and baseball.
He holds a master’s degree with a certificate of advanced study in educational administration from SUNY Plattsburgh and a bachelor’s degree in government and political science from St. Lawrence University. Martin is permanently certified in NYS as a school building and school district administrator, as well as a secondary social studies teacher.
Martin is an avid woodworker who loves to build things, especially furniture. He also built his house and garage himself. He loves to tinker with and drive his 1955 chevy pickup, and he makes a point to travel as much as he can.
“I’m a pretty busy guy, I don’t let the grass grow under my feet,” Martin explained, adding “I love being around kids and teachers and being in schools, it’s just something I love to do.”
Martin replaces former principal Junait Shah, who resigned earlier this month to accept a position with another school district.