Board appoints next Wellwood Middle School principal

Wellwood Middle School will have familiar leadership in place for the 2022-23 school year. 

On June 13, the Fayetteville-Manlius School District appointed the school’s current assistant principal, Trisha Fogarty, to serve as its next principal effective July 1.

Last month, the board appointed Wellwood’s principal, Melissa Corbin, to serve as the district’s first executive director of special education and early childhood initiatives, which is also effective July 1. With Wellwood’s principal position filled, the district will next commence a search for a new assistant principal. 

“Since day one at Wellwood, the students, staff and families have embraced and welcomed me into the community,” Fogarty said. “The positive and inviting school culture is just one of the many aspects of Wellwood that make it so special. I am honored to accept the opportunity and look forward to continuing my leadership in the role of principal at Wellwood next year.” 

Fogarty, a Syracuse resident, is completing her first year as Wellwood’s assistant principal. Prior to that, she spent two years as an administrative intern with the LaFayette Central School District, working at the LaFayette Junior-Senior High School and the Onondaga Nation School. 

At the LaFayette Junior-Senior High School, she provided leadership for the planning and facilitation of the district’s curriculum review for English language arts and math, handled student discipline issues and supported teachers and provided guidance with classroom management, curriculum development, staff concerns and teacher communication with parents. 

At the Onondaga Nation School, Fogarty established cooperative relationships and communications with students, families, community agencies and members of the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs. She developed and implemented a system for teachers to collect, analyze and interpret data. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she provided technical logistical support to teachers with their transition to distance learning, including scheduling, equipment, websites and student services. 

Fogarty also has experience as an elementary and universal prekindergarten teacher, as well as an administrative intern with the OCM BOCES summer school program. She served as a teacher-leader at the Dennis M. Kennedy Middle School in Hannibal where her responsibilities included gathering, researching and analyzing data in relation to at-risk students to develop a plan for success and assembling a task force to develop an action plan to increase family and community engagement. 

Superintendent Craig J. Tice said Fogarty’s familiarity with Wellwood’s staff, students and their families, as well as the district will benefit the Wellwood community. 

“Trisha has a breadth of experience working on various school district issues that we will benefit from here at F-M,” Tice said. “I am looking forward to her transitioning to her new role leading Wellwood and supporting its students and staff.”