Millennium HS Principal Robert Rhodes Picked to Run Greeley

Robert Rhodes, who is principal of the Millennium High School in lower Manhattan, has been selected as the superintendent's choice for Horace Greeley High School's new principal.

“Mr. Rhodes has a passion for learning and for teaching students to pursue their own ideas,” said Superintendent Lyn McKay in a press release. “From budgeting and long-term planning to curriculum design and professional development, he is well versed in the many facets of school operations and has a proven track record of putting students first and creating a learner-centered environment where everyone can succeed.”

Rhodes is the founding principal at Millennium, which was founded in 2002 during the post-9/11 revitalization efforts for lower Manhattan. It is a highly desired school and one that accepts students based on applications rhather than guaranteed slots. For the 2011-12 school year, there were about 5,300 8th graders who applied for just 150 slots.

The decision to go with Rhodes is based on his academic and community engagement background.

"As founding principal, Rhodes was instrumental in reaching out to and creating an advisory board composed of students, parents, community members, local business officials and politicians; recruiting all staff and students; articulating curriculum in all subject areas; securing millions of dollars in grant funding; and he even had a hand in the school’s layout and design," the announcement states. "He also established a four-year student/teacher advisory program, all of which has resulted in steady 98% graduation and college placement rates."

In a fall interview with DNAinfo.com, a local news site for Manhattan, Rhodes was asked why Millennium is popular.

"We're offering a solid education, a great facility and a fantastic location," he said to DNAinfo. "People who visit the school on tours remark on the vibe: People talk to each other. Everyone works hard but no one looks hassled. Teachers really care. People here are very energetic. They're thoughtful. It feels like a place you can be yourself and be accepted and be seen."

McKay praised the collaborative atmosphere at Millennium, and said she got to see the school during a recent tour, which was done along with school board president Alyson Kiesel, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Eric Byrne and a Greeley staff member.

"He really connects to students," McKay said.

As principal, according to media reports, Rhodes has also faced several challenges, including tight class space for students - Millennium takes up floors in an office building, said McKay - and a lack of gym space.

Prior to Millennium, Rhodes worked at an alternative public high school in Queens, as a teacher then as an assistance principal. He's originally from Shaker Heights, OH, and received his bachelor's from Sarah Lawrence College in 1990. His education background also includes getting a masters at Fordham University in 1997, a secondary education award in 2003 from Clark University, and a Cahn Fellowship from the Teachers College at Columbia University.

Rhodes was selected out of a large pool, with 147 applicants for the position. The field to two finalists by late January. To keep the confidentiality of the applicants, no further data about them will be released, McKay said.

The school board will vote on whether to approve the hiring of Rhodes at its Feb. 28 meeting and he will stop by to make an appearance, McKay said.

The principal's office at Greeley became open due to the promotion of Andrew Selesnick to assistant superintendent for human resources. He is serving out the rest of the school year in his current job and his new job starts on July 1. The addition of Rhodes is also expected to be effective on July 1.

Meanwhile, the search for a new principal for Roaring Brook Elementary School is still ongoing.