The Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District is pleased to announce that Devra Small has been named principal of Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School. She was appointed at the district’s board of education meeting on Aug. 2. Small replaces Tami McElwee, who will serve as the district’s director of humanities, K-12.
Small served as an elementary school principal in Mineola from 2004-2015. Most recently, she was North Shore Central School District’s director of elementary humanities from 2015-2023. At North Shore, her responsibilities included curriculum writing, teacher supervision and evaluation, professional development for teachers, student assessments, facilitation of committees and parent workshops, and budgeting and purchasing. Small’s work has included a focus on best instructional practices for early literacy, the use of literacy data to inform small group instruction and interventions, and the development of units and practices that promote student voice and choice in their own learning.
She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Williams College and her master’s degree in elementary education from Teachers College, Columbia University. In addition, Small earned her certificate of advanced study in educational administration from Hofstra University.
“I am thrilled to be joining the special, close-knit community here,” said Small. “I am passionate that school should always be a place where children feel at home and where they have fun while learning actively. It is exciting to introduce students to the joys of learning and reading and to make sure that all students acquire the skills they will need for their future.”
—Submitted by the Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District
