Rebecca Farwell

The Dunkirk Central School District held a special meeting on Thursday to first and foremost welcome the new middle school principal to the staff — Rebecca Farwell.

Farwell grew up in Fredonia, and even worked for the Dunkirk school system from 1994-96, but life took her to a number of other places before she made her triumphant return home.

In ’96, Farwell got married and moved to North Carolina, before returning to Fredonia in 2011, where she taught at the Buffalo Seminary as the dean of Students. In 2014, she was a staff development specialist at Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES, then served as the assistant principal at Bemus Point in 2015 before applying for the middle school principal position at Dunkirk — which she so excitedly received.

Farwell is excited not only to be back in her hometown, but to really serve her community.

“The biggest reason I wanted to apply for this position is because I am a part of this community, and I want to serve in a leadership capacity,” Farwell said.

“… I was really excited for the opportunity to come back to the district,” she added. “… I think the biggest thing I’d want to do is to have the faculty, staff and students really be proud of the middle school that they have.”

Farwell graduated from the Fredonia Central School District, completed her undergrad at Geneseo and her grad work at St. Bonaventure, and holds a grades 7-12 secondary mathematics degree, a Master’s in educational leadership and an advanced certificate in school district leadership.

Also at the meeting, Sandra Sheridan was appointed as elementary pre-kindergarten teacher, Alyssa Raimondo was appointed as social studies teacher, Shawn Howard was appointed as technology education teacher, Amber Promber was appointed as reading teacher, Timothy Johnson was appointed as biology teacher and Jamie Thompson was appointed as girls’ varsity volleyball coach.