It’s Monday in Monticello – time for Superintendent Evans’ weekly update to the Monticello community! In this episode, an interview with veteran, and Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Dr. Michael Carpentieri. Plus important reminders about the emergency dismissal drill on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and district’s closure on Veterans Day. And a special “good luck” to Baya Titus, who will be competing at the NYS Cross Country Championships this weekend.
Video Transcript:
Dr. Matt Evans: Hi, I’m Matt Evans, superintendent of the Monticello Central School District, and thank you for joining us for the Nov. 9, 2026, edition of It’s Monday in Monticello.
Before I get to our special guest this week, I do have a few calendar announcements. Tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 10, we will be holding our districtwide emergency dismissal drill. All schools will be dismissing 15 minutes earlier than their regular dismissal times, except for walkers. Any students remaining in those schools at dismissal time, including car riders, will be sent home on their assigned buses.
If a parent or caregiver wants to pick up their child as a car rider on Nov. 10, we ask that they please do so before the following times.
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At Monticello High School and Robert J. Kaiser Middle School, before 1:15 p.m.
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At Chase, Cooke and Rutherford elementary schools and the St. John Street School, before 2:30 p.m.
This annual drill is required by state education law, and we want to make sure that students know where to go in the case of an emergency dismissal from school, when they need to get on their assigned buses and go home. We take this drill seriously, and we appreciate your cooperation and patience. If you have any questions regarding this drill, please contact your child’s school.
On Wednesday, Nov. 11, all Monticello Central School District schools will be closed in recognition of Veterans Day. On behalf of the Monticello Central School District, I cannot thank our veterans enough for their distinguished service to our country.
And that leads me to our special guest this week. Our special guest is not only a veteran but also our new assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Michael Carpentieri joined us in late June of this past year. He was previously an elementary principal and special education teacher. He is also an active lieutenant colonel in the National Guard. Is that correct?
Dr. Michael Carpentieri: Yes, that is correct, Dr. Evans.
Dr. Evans: So, welcome, Dr. Carpentieri.
Dr. Carpentieri: Thank you for having me.
Dr. Evans: My pleasure. Based on your experiences in our schools and community so far, what are some of your impressions?
Dr. Carpentieri: First off, it’s been such a warm welcome from the community and from the staff. It’s been incredible to recognize the talent that is within this district and within this community. Going back to how welcoming it was, I’ve been able to introduce myself and hear people tell me how proud they are to be a Panther. They went to school here, they still teach here or work here, and their parents went here. It’s a generational school that families in the community are proud of.
Dr. Evans: Great. Thank you. Now, what are your goals or areas of focus for this school year?
Dr. Carpentieri: As the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, the biggest and most important priority is the instruction we provide for students. If we can provide the best evidence-based instruction for all of our students, pre-K through 12th grade, we’ll have the greatest chance of improving student outcomes within the district.
In order to do that, we have to make sure we provide targeted professional development to our staff. It’s been wonderful to see our staff on our conference day on Nov. 6 working together and developing common formative assessments, doing the PLC work and getting their hands dirty in what is sometimes mundane, detailed work on the instructional side.
I’m really looking forward to maintaining that consistency that we want to see within all of our classrooms, pre-K through 12th grade, over the next year and in the years to come while I’m here as the assistant superintendent.
Dr. Evans: Wonderful. Thank you. And now, you’re also a veteran.
Dr. Carpentieri: Yeah.
Dr. Evans: How long and where have you served?
Dr. Carpentieri: I was commissioned as an officer through the ROTC program at Siena College in 2005. I’ll have been in the New York Army National Guard for almost 22 years in May, so just over 21 years right now. I served in Afghanistan for about eight or nine months, from March to about December 2008, returning home to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in early 2009. That’s when I became a special education teacher, after I returned from my deployment in Afghanistan.
Dr. Evans: Well, thank you for your service.
Dr. Carpentieri: Thank you.
Dr. Evans: Why did you decide to enlist?
Dr. Carpentieri: I graduated from high school in June 2001. That summer, before I went up to Siena College as a freshman, I received a postcard in the mail that ROTC was offering a one-credit course. We were going to go kayaking, right? This is how the Army gets you. We were going to go kayaking, mountain climbing, maybe camp in the woods a little bit. So I decided to enroll in that class. It was an additional credit, and it had some things that I was interested in.
On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I was coming back from my 8:15 in the morning European history class. That’s when the first plane hit the first tower. That day, I went down to the ROTC office and said, “I want to do this for real.”
The only rule my mother had when I talked to her about it was that I had to get a college degree before going into the service. I was able to do both at the same time. In an ROTC program, you get commissioned as an officer when you graduate. In May 2005, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army, and I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from Siena College.
Sept. 11, 2001, is a very important day to me, and it’s the reason why I joined the service.
Dr. Evans: That’s great. Thank you, Michael. Enjoy your Veterans Day, and thank you again for your service.
Good luck to Baya Titus, who will be running in the New York State Cross Country Championships this Saturday, Nov. 14.
That’s it for this week. Stay well, everyone. Enjoy your Veterans Day with Monti Pride. I’m Matt Evans.