The End of an Era at This West Nyack School

Art Jakubowitz has dedicated his professional life to helping students with disabilities.

The principal at the Birchwood School—the only one the school has ever known—is finishing his 27th and final year at the school. He knows his leaving at the end of this summer will be a very bittersweet and emotional time.

"That’s gonna be really, really weird," said the 61-year-old Jakubowitz. "The whole idea of not coming back to a place you’ve come to every day for 27 years will create a really big void."

"I’m a very emotional person so it’s going to be really emotional for me," he added.

Those emotions were on display May 14 during the school’s annual end-of-the-year party. At the event, Jakubowitz and six other employees were honored by about 200 family, friends and colleagues for their years at Birchwood.

“They did bring me to tears one time,” Jakubowitz said. “It was a beautiful evening. It was a very nice way to cap off 27 years.”

Besides the students, the camaraderie he’s had with those co-workers, as well as the others he is leaving, is one of the main things Jakubowitz said he’ll miss.

“I’m very grateful I got to work with so many great people who do all the leg work. It’s really the whole staff that does it, and I’m going to miss that,” he explained.

Prior to coming to Birchwood in 1984, Jakubowitz was the principal of the French Hill School in Yorktown Heights from 1979-84. French Hill was a special education school for students with emotional and learning problems. He also was an assistant principal at another school for children with learning disabilities, the Walden School in Yorktown Heights, from 1976-79 and taught special education for a year.

Jakubowitz didn’t intend on spending a career in special education. He started as a math teacher, but after being laid off he got a job in Westchester County teaching special education and things progressed from there.

“Once I got into that area, I really enjoyed it,” he said. “It just seemed to be the right career path for me.”

Birchwood offers an individualized and supportive environment for its 113 students, ages five to 21, who have significant emotional, behavioral and learning problems. The school, which has a class ratio of 8:1:1, also offers its students therapy services to complement the academic and social lessons.

The typical Birchwood student previously had experienced failure, both at the academic and social levels, Jakubowitz said. The school tries to repair any damage to the student’s self-esteem that may have been caused by these failures by addressing unsuccessful learning patterns and trying to instill a more productive way of learning and better behavior through that combination of teaching and therapy, he said.

“The staff is specifically trained to remediate behavioral and learning problems,” he said. “They help students develop self-discipline by showing them that they are responsible for their own behaviors, as well as for the consequences of those behaviors. Teachers, clinicians, support staff and [myself] work together to provide a nurturing atmosphere of safety and trust, enabling the students to grow and mature.”

Clarkstown Central School District Superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan said “while none of us are irreplaceable, Art’s stellar qualities will make finding a replacement an extremely difficult task.”

She pointed out he has hired almost all the members of the Birchwood staff and his dedication to the school has helped create a level of comfort, constancy and support that is the foundation for its success.

“He is extremely well respected for his integrity, work ethic, humility, concern and empathy,” Keller-Cogan said. “At the same time, he understands the importance of structure and discipline. As a result, the staff that works with him knows they are well supported, respected and appreciated in the challenging work they do.”

Finding that balance between structure and support has been Jakubowitz’ guiding principle as principal. He said he is proud of his legacy at Birchwood and the reputation he has helped to create.

“I think I’ve put my footprint on it,” he said. “We really have developed a reputation around the county that if you have a child with special needs that this is the school to get into.”

Jakubowitz, a native of Tel Aviv, Israel, doesn’t plan on slowing down after he retires. He wants to travel and plans on training for the New York City Marathon. He also will do some gardening and relaxing around the house with his wife, Ellen, as well as spend time with his three adult children, Stacey, Marcy and Matthew.

While he is looking forward to the next phase of his life, he also is very cognizant of what he will be leaving behind when he walks out of the school for the last time Aug. 31. So far, he said “I don’t really think about it all that much,” but he knows as the days he has left at the school dwindle down that emotional part of him will slowly start to bubble up as his old life flows into his new life.

“There are such great things waiting for me that it’s going to be a bittersweet moment,” he said.

The other retiring Birchwood School employees honored May 14 were:

• Harold Hansen, a custodian who has worked in the district for 17 years at various schools. Hansen, an outdoorsman, said he plans to spend his retirement hunting, fishing and camping.
• Henry Judka, the school psychologist, also has been at Birchwood for 27 years. His retirement plans include spending time with his family, traveling and maintaining a private practice.
• Helene Katz has been the school’s library media specialist/home and careers teacher for 25 years. She also plans on traveling in retirement: “I want to see the world—South America, Asia, Australia and Europe, as well as all of the beautiful parks and monuments that I have yet to visit in the U.S.” She also plans on volunteering at a food bank and helping victims of domestic abuse.
• Carmen Pappas, a teaching assistant, is another original Birchwood staffer who is retiring after 27 years. She wants to travel to Hawaii, Florida, Puerto Rico, Brazil and Israel, as well as spend time with her four grandchildren. She also would like to be a substitute at Birchwood because “then I won't miss everyone so much."
• Elizabeth “Betty” Lockwood, has been the school’s nurse the past 21 years. Golfing and traveling top her list of retirement activities.
• Madeline Latarski has been at Jakubowitz’ side since the beginning, serving as the school’s secretary for 27 years. She wants to spend more time with family and friends and do some traveling, preferably some cruises.