Administrative Shifts 2022-2023

Jacqueline Richardson, who most recently served as an associate principal at Ithaca High School, has been appointed as the new principal of Beverly J. Martin Elementary School. 

Principal Richardson first joined the ICSD in 2004 to teach art at Cayuga Heights and South Hill elementary schools and then taught visual arts at Ithaca High School from 2005 to 2008. She then relocated to the Harlem Village Academy Charter High School for two years, where she served as a visual arts teacher and ninth-grade team leader. In 2010, Ms. Richardson returned to Ithaca High School, teaching visual arts until 2020, when she was appointed to her most recent role as Associate Principal of Curriculum and Instruction and the 10th Grade at Ithaca High School.

Principal Richardson views BJM as a longstanding beacon for justice, equity work, and building community through education.

“It is my authentic intention and aspiration to continue this work and lead from a place of non-judgment and love,” she said. “Each of us at BJM has the potential to embrace ourselves as leaders. I want every student and staff member to see themselves as changemakers and an integral part of what makes a community beautiful and dynamic. Students and staff will learn to lead together through inquiry, exploration, collaboration, discussion, literacy, the arts, and ultimately joy.”

Ms. Richardson has two children, is an avid gardener, loves animals, swimming, and paddle-boarding, and is learning to identify birds by their songs and animals by their tracks.

Joining Principal Richardson at Beverly J. Martin is newly appointed Associate Principal Annette Schaffer. 

Annette comes to the ICSD from Pennsylvania, where she served as School Improvement Facilitator for the Chester County Intermediate Unit in Downingtown and, most recently, as an elementary school assistant principal for the Pleasant Valley School District in Kunkletown. Before moving to Pennsylvania, Annette worked for the New York City Department of Education for 15 years, serving in various roles, including English as a Second Language teacher, data specialist, aspiring principal, and middle and elementary school assistant principal. Since 2019, Annette has also taught as an adjunct professor in the School of Education at Pace University.

Annette looks forward to collaborating with Principal Richardson and the entire staff at BJM to nourish children’s curiosity and develop their thinking skills.

Originally from the Pocono Mountains, Annette loves to hike, kayak, and sit around a campfire. She has traveled through Latin America and hopes to travel to Spain on a future adventure.

Longtime ICSD educator Caren Arnold has been appointed as the new principal of Caroline Elementary School. 

Aileen Grainger will continue to serve as acting principal of Enfield Elementary School. 

Aileen has been associate principal at Enfield since 2019 and, prior to that, taught at Caroline Elementary School for seven years. In recent years, Aileen has also served as a principal of Project Innovation, the district’s inclusive summer school program, and interim associate principal at Boynton Middle School. 

Now in her fourth year at Enfield Elementary, Aileen continues to support the Equitable and Edible Farm School. Using Enfield’s ten acres of property, the school strives to connect all students to the physical land and study the ways in which it supports our ecosystem and the ways we affect the land. Looking at issues of justice and injustice within the food and school systems, students discover ways to support themselves as well as each other.

“As acting principal during Keith’s leave, I am honored to be working with our team of educators who support Enfield’s mission,” Aileen said. “This upcoming school year we look forward to sharing student learning with the wider community through Celebrations of Learning and collaborations with community partners.”

Bart Auble, who most recently served as Educator of Inclusion at Beverly J. Martin Elementary, will support Ms. Grainger at Enfield as Educator of Inclusion and Acting Assistant Principal. 

Previously, Bart also served as associate principal at BJM and worked for 13 years as LACS as a special education teacher and chairperson for the Committee on Special Education (CSE).

Bart is looking forward to joining the Enfield Elementary School community and is m particularly excited about all of the work happening with agriculture at the school.

“I hope to promote inclusion through hands-on learning,” Bart said. “There are so many ways to connect food production with project-based learning. Over the years, I have observed how hands-on learning benefits children as part of their classroom experience and opens doors to other interests and topics like social justice and sustainability.”

Bart is a class of 1986 graduate of Ithaca High School. He and his wife are parents to two ICSD students, and he enjoys gardening, kayaking, renovating his old house, family trips and walks with his dog, Stella.

Samantha Little has been appointed as interim principal of Northeast Elementary School.

Ms. Little has served as the ICSD Director of Athletics and Wellness since 2017 and, prior to that, was the principal of South Hill Elementary School for four years. Samantha first joined the ICSD in 2002 as a school counselor at Beverly J. Martin Elementary School and in 2009, transitioned to Ithaca High School, where she worked as a Student Services Department Chairperson for one year and then as an associate principal from 2010 to 2013. 

In her interim role, Ms. Little hopes to develop a positive and productive relationship with every scholar and family by being visible and fostering a school culture that promotes continual growth and development. She looks forward to a year of love, compassion, fun, laughter, and personal and professional growth within the Wolfpack community.

While Ms. Little serves as interim principal at Northeast, she will remain connected to ICSD Athletics, and the district will provide additional administrative support for the department’s day-to-day operations.

Ms. Little has three children, two cats, and a dog. She loves to travel, hang out with family and friends, and when she ‘grows up,’ she wants to be an organic farmer to create alternative options for food and energy sources, medicine, and therapy. 

Julie Humble, who served as the associate principal at Beverly J. Martin Elementary School since 2019, will join Samantha at Northeast as associate principal and Educator of Inclusion. 

Ms. Humble started her career in the ICSD in 2009, working as a kindergarten teacher for seven years and as an instructional coach during the 2013-2014 school year. From 2016 to 2019, she taught special education, first at Newark Valley High School and then at the Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga (TST) BOCES Regional Alternative School, before returning to the ICSD in 2019. Ms. Humble also currently serves as the principal for Project Innovation, the district’s inclusive summer school program for elementary and middle school students.

In her new position, Ms. Humble plans to support the school community with a student-centered, inclusive approach to learning. She looks forward to joining Northeast and “loving all kids, families, and staff” in the Wolfpack community.

Ms. Humble’s family lives in the Newfield area where they raised their son, who will be starting his sophomore year in college. The family loves the outdoors, camping, and spending time at the lake.

Heather Williams will serve as the district’s new Coordinator of Facilities, managing the interior and exteriors of ICSD campuses.  

Heather has worked in education for almost three decades, serving in various roles, including classroom teacher, technology integration specialist, instructional coach, and, most recently, Dean of Students at DeWitt Middle School. She has experience in both residential and commercial construction, as well as property management. Heather also recently completed her Certificate of Advanced Study in School District Leadership. She has an 11-year-old child who is “full of love and curiosity.” 

In her new role, Heather is most looking forward to putting systems in place to support the hard-working facilities staff in the Ithaca City School District, systems that will allow each person to impact the life of a student.

“Facilities work should positively impact teaching and learning and enhance the student experience for all involved.”