OCT.17, 2022—  The  New York State School Boards Association recognizes October 17-21 as School Board Recognition Week. This is a time to promote awareness and understanding of the important work performed by local school boards. Public schools form the bedrock of our communities and our country. Democracy thrives with educated citizens capable of critical thinking and civil discourse. And it is our local school boards who are ultimately responsible for student success.

“It takes strong schools to build a strong community, and these Pal-Mac residents devote countless hours to making sure our schools are helping every child learn at a higher level,” Superintendent Dr. Robert R. Ike said. “They make the tough decisions every month and spend many hours studying education issues and regulations in order to provide the kind of accountability our community stakeholders expect.”

Dr. Ike said the key work of school boards is to raise student achievement by:

• Developing a shared vision and goals for the District;

• Ensuring strategies, resources, policies and programs align with District goals;

• Assessing and providing accountability for student achievement;

• Supporting a healthy school district culture in which to work and learn;

• Evaluating the Superintendent to ensure continuous improvement;

• And much more!

The members serving our District and their years of service are as follows:

Laura Arrington, President 2011 - Present

David Landon, Vice-President 2015 - Present

Amy Boesel 2021 - Present

Chris Doyle (‘89) 2019 - Present

Susan Herendeen 2020 - Present

Gary LaBerge (‘63) 1984-1990; 2017 - Present

Sherry Lambert 2014 - Present

Chad Lindstrom (‘96) 2021 - Present

Sarah Newman 2022-

Keep scrolling to learn more about each Board member. 

Laura Arrington, President

What do you love most about Pal-Mac? I don't know if I can narrow it down to just one thing, but the first thing that comes to my mind is our amazing teachers and staff.  I am thankful for their hard work and dedication to our children.   We truly have the best staff!  (let me know if I need to embellish on this one.  I don't want to be the person with a short answer)

An interesting fact about you?  I cheered all through high school and now I am a Section V Cheerleading Judge

David Landon, Vice-President

What do you love most about Pal-Mac?  What I love most about Pal-Mac is the people. Together the Pal-Mac community and School District help support students so that every child can blossom into a young adult with goals and dreams.

An interesting fact about you? An interesting fact about me is, I'm the person that paints the Red Tail Hawks on the sidewalks around the district. 

Amy Boesel

What do you love most about Pal-Mac?   I love how our staff is so kind, dedicated and caring. They are approachable and want to help. 

An interesting fact about you? I had never heard of Palmyra until I met my husband. When I introduced him to my grandmother, she informed me her mother was from Palmyra. After some research, I learned my ancestors moved to Palmyra in 1790 and the last of them moved away by 1910. 

Chris Doyle

What do you love most about Pal-Mac? Being an alumni of Pal-Mac I love many things about the district. But I love the size and the many opportunities this district has to offer. It’s a great community to be a part of. 

An interesting fact about you? One thing that most people may not know about me is that in my spare time I enjoy wood working and making small pieces of furniture.  

Susan Herendeen

What do you love most about Pal-Mac? Its ability to support student interests from the arts, academics, sports and extra curricular activities.  I’m always learning about different classes and clubs.   

An interesting fact about you?  I’m trying to perfect my bread baking abilities.  

Gary LaBerge

What do you love most about Pal-Mac?  I love all the friends I have made in my  time at Pal - Mac.

An interesting fact about you? I have been a bird watcher all my life, I wrote my senior paper at Pal-Mac on falcons. I can identify 90 different wild birds.

Sherry Lambert

What do you love most about Pal-Mac? I love P-M school for the size and the community involvement

An interesting fact about you? My great-grandfather, my grandfather and my father have all  served on the BOE  in my hometown in the Adirondacks (over 30 years).

Chad Lindstrom

What do you love most about Pal-Mac? The community. I was born and raised here. I graduated from Pal-Mac in 1996 and I can't imagine my children going to school anywhere else. There's a high number of alumni who are now employees of the district and that only enriches the collective bond and sense of community.

An interesting fact about you? My wife and I, also a 1996 graduate of Pal-Mac, moved to Portland, Oregon, where we lived for 5 years. I worked part time as a casino  dealer while I attended school and was later employed where the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was filmed.

Sarah Newman

What do you love most about Pal-Mac? The sense of pride that is felt throughout our community for our schools is undeniable and something that brings us all together. I love being a part of the Pal-Mac community!

An interesting fact about you? I perform with a number of performing arts organizations and ensembles around our region.