Artessa named principal at Holley Elementary School
Photo by Tom Rivers: Tim Artessa is pictured outside the Holley Elementary School on Monday evening after the Board of Education appointed him as the new principal. Artessa has been the assistant principal at the school the past eight years. He succeeds Karri Schiavone, who is now Holley’s district superintendent.
HOLLEY – The Holley Board of Education appointed Tim Artessa to be the new principal of the Holley Elementary School. Artessa is no stranger to the students and staff. He has been the assistant principal the past eight years.
He succeeds Karri Schiavone, who is now Holley’s district superintendent.
Artessa came to Holley eight years ago after working as a sixth grade teacher at Gates Chili Middle School for 13 years.
“Holley is a great place,” Artessa said on Monday after the Board of Education meeting, when his appointment was finalized. “It feels like family here. There are great kids, a very supportive staff and great parents.”
Artessa has previously worked as a summer school assistant principal for Monroe 2–Orleans BOCES. He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in elementary education from Nazareth College. He received his administrative certification from the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester.
Schiavone said Artessa will serve the district well as the elementary principal.
“Tim has been an invaluable member of our administrative team, demonstrating exceptional dedication, leadership, and a deep commitment to the success and wellbeing of our students,” she said. “His devotion to the elementary school over the last eight years makes him uniquely qualified to lead our school into the future. I have full confidence in his ability to continue fostering an innovative, positive and supportive learning environment for all.”
Holley will interview candidates to be the assistant principal this week. The school has about 500 students in grades prekindergarten to 6.
Artessa said one priority will be reducing the number of students who are chronically absent, missing at least 18 days of school a year or 10 percent of the school days. This past year, 28 percent of students were chronically absent in the elementary school, with 24 percent in the middle school grades and 39 percent in the high school.
Schiavone shared those statistics with the Board of Education on Monday. Artessa said the elementary school will be working with parents to improve attendance. Chronic absenteeism has been an issue for many districts around the country since the Covid pandemic in 2020, he said.
The elementary school also is adding a dedicated STEM classroom as part of a capital project this summer. That classroom in the space where there is a front atrium will allow students and teachers to do innovative learning projects, Artessa said.
The capital project also is adding air-conditioning to classrooms in kindergarten through grades 2 this summer, with most of the rest of the building to be done the following summer.
“I absolutely adore the students here at Holley Elementary,” Artessa said. “We have made great strides under the building leadership of Ms. Schiavone, and I am committed to continuing that trend moving forward. I am very fortunate to be able to continue leading an amazing staff that shares in the understanding that our students deserve our very best every single day.”
