Dear Riverdale,
I am thrilled to be joining the Riverdale Public School as your Principal. I look forward to meeting each of you and learning more about you and your families. I would like to share some of my background so you know a bit more about my history and how I arrived here to Riverdale. I attended Franklin & Marshall College and double majored in Government and Spanish. During my Junior year, I studied in Madrid, Spain for 5 months. I also played football at F&M for four years. I graduated in 1997 and worked for three years. I then went back to school to study for my MBA and graduated in 2002. While in graduate school, I studied in Guadalajara, Mexico for 4 months. The experience of living in foreign countries not only helped me to become fluent in Spanish, it lit a desire in me to see the world and meet new people and understand their cultures.
After completing my MBA, I lived in Sevilla, Spain for a few months with my brother. I returned home to New York, and by July of 2003, I had moved to Hermosa Beach, California. My goal was to work for an international company that needed support in Latin America. As luck would have it, I found a job working for a dental products company called Discus Dental. I was responsible for managing all of our business in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. I traveled 100 days a year for those three years and had phenomenal experiences during my travels. As I progressed through my career as an executive, the idea of becoming a teacher was always tugging at me. Working as an executive was not fulfilling, and I felt I needed to do something that made a difference. I believed then (and still do) that being a teacher is one of the most fulfilling jobs there is. I wanted to help my students learn the language that has brought so many amazing experiences and relationships to my life. I decided to go back to school full time to learn the skills I would need to be a great educator. I set two goals for myself when I left my career over 10 years ago: be the best Spanish teacher I could be, and then become a school leader. To have reached this goal and join the Riverdale Public School as your Principal is the culmination of over 25 years of work and study.
I believe that every child can learn and excel in their own unique ways. I tell my sons and will tell our students to “Do What is Right, Not What is Easy.” As young children and adolescents, it is important to understand why we make decisions and how these decisions affect ourselves, those around us, and the future. I have worked in middle schools and high schools as a teacher and administrator for the last 12 years. I know what it looks like when a child enters the 9th grade with a positive and strong emotional and academic skill set. I purposely sought an opportunity to work with elementary and middle school students because I know for a fact that these are the years that make the difference. I will support our students, parents, teachers, support staff, and the rest of the community to ensure that when our students graduate from the 8th grade, they are prepared for high school. We will continue to encourage our students to be hard-working, confident, resilient, empathetic, ethical, caring, and outstanding representatives of this town of Riverdale that they call home.
The Riverdale Public School has been an outstanding place for children to learn for decades. The reasons for this are clear: great teachers, great families, and a community that cares about their children and education. As the new Principal, my responsibility is to continue to foster and support the educational excellence that has been established and to encourage the traditions that are a part of this school and town. I am excited to spend time in classrooms to see our teachers in action and watch our students grasp new concepts. I’m sure I will learn as much from them as they will from me. I will bring all of the skills I have learned over the last 25 years as a student, as an executive, as a teacher, and as a school administrator and apply them at Riverdale. I am confident that my creative outlook and love of the education profession will have a positive impact throughout the Riverdale Public School and all those that care about it. I look forward to becoming a part of the Riverdale community and meeting as many of you as possible. Thank you for this opportunity and I look forward to seeing you.
Best Regards,
Mark Sernatinger
[email protected]
instagram: riverdale_principal
Mr. Sernatinger's Graduation Speech for the Class of 2026
For many of you, your journey at Riverdale began all the way back in Kindergarten. I first met you as 5th Graders and it is amazing to think today was your last day of 8th Grade.
I know your parents are very proud of you today. When it is quiet later and you are back home, make sure you thank them for all the love and support they have given you over the years. They say that for parents, “the days are long, but the years are short.” Your graduation from 8th Grade is a marker in your family’s history. It is also a signal to us as parents that time is flying… so let them know how thankful you are.
A few days ago, our New York Knicks won their first championship in 53 years :) They were led by a 6’ 1” Point Guard named Jalen Brunson. Last night I watched 5 foot 7 Leo Messi score 3 goals in a World Cup game. I mention these two athletes because they are not physically gifted in comparison to others in their sport. What has set them apart is the work and the time they have put in when no one is watching to become supreme examples of determination and athletic success.
You can use their examples as you think about the next 4 years. Nothing happens in the short term… everything takes time. The habits you’ve established in Middle School are going to stick with you. If you think they are good habits, build on them. If you need to improve your habits, start now. People are always looking for the quick fix…
there is no quick fix.
You have to write down your goal
and all of the steps it will take to achieve it, understanding that you will make mistakes along the way.
Ask any of the adults in your family how they became successful, and I’m sure they will tell you that they endured many failures before finally realizing their goal.
When you have a setback, embrace failure as part of the process.
Keep in mind that you cannot control everything that occurs around you.
But…. you can control how you react.
During the school day, focusing on academics is important, but after school it’s important to give yourself plenty of opportunities to have fun with your friends! You need to laugh, play, relax… and disconnect. During our 8th Grade overnight, the only technology you had were some walkie-talkies and an old digital camera. Instead of checking your phones, you were fishing, swimming, talking, walking around the lake, and being present in every moment.
I am so proud of every one of you. You are all amazing and you have limitless futures. I guarantee the next four years of high school will provide you with experiences you will never forget. Just remember, you can always come home to Riverdale School. I can’t wait to see what each of you will accomplish over the next four years… and beyond. We love you and we know the world is a better place because each of you is in it. Thank you for what you have given to Riverdale School… Congratulations Class of 2026 :)