Katie LoRusso, Massapequa School District’s newly appointed Director of Fine and Performing Arts. Courtesy Massapequa school district
The Massapequa Board of Education approved the appointment of Katie LoRusso as the district’s new director of fine and performing arts at its May 7 meeting. She will succeed Vincent Green, who is retiring June 30 after serving in the position since 2019.
LoRusso earned her undergraduate degree from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, a master’s degree from Queens College and an educational administration degree from SUNY Stony Brook.
She began her career as a music teacher at Plainedge Middle School and has spent the past 20 years at H. Frank Carey High School in the Sewanhaka Central High School District, where she currently serves as director of music.
“I’ve always wanted to be at the district level, and I’m looking forward to mentoring other educators in Massapequa,” LoRusso said.
A Massapequa Park resident, LoRusso lives with her husband, Peter, and their three children — Jack and James, who attend Berner Middle School, and 4-year-old Brooke.
The board also approved the appointment of Dani Shehad as the new supervisor of career and technical education for Massapequa
High School and Ames and Berner middle schools. Shehad currently serves as a family and consumer sciences teacher at Unqua Elementary School.
• Heard a presentation from Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Brian Trapani on the district’s secondary curriculum.
• Discussed an amendment to District Policy 5151 regarding homeless children. The proposed change would excuse students experiencing homelessness from attendance-based participation requirements for district activities if absences were related to their housing situation.
Source: Massapequa Post
