Mark Nizer, new principal at Catskill Academy.
Questar III BOCES is pleased to announce that Mark Nizer will be joining Catskill Academy as its new principal. Nizer began at Questar III in 2012 as a substitute teaching assistant in the Special Education department. After moving into a full-time teaching assistant position, he served as a special education teacher in a Questar III classroom at Goff Middle School as a long-term substitute, and then as a full-time teacher at Rensselaer Academy.
During the 2020-2021 school year, Nizer completed his administrative internship under the guidance of Rensselaer Academy Principal Andrew Pemrick. He has served as assistant principal at Rensselaer Academy and as a teacher on special assignment at the George Washington School. Nizer is a former attorney who practiced in New York’s Capital District. Later, he worked as an instrumental music teacher in Chatham CSD, Coxsackie-Athens CSD, Ichabod Crane Middle School, Valatie, NY and Fischer Catholic High School in Lancaster, Ohio.
Nizer grew up in the New York State Capital Region and attended Columbia High school, East Greenbush, NY. He earned a Bachelor of Music Education at Ithaca College, NY, with a concentration in instrumental music as a clarinet and saxophone major. He holds a Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School and has done extensive graduate work to be certified in music education, special education, and as a school building leader. As an attorney, he has written several articles for the New York State Association of School Business Officials (NYSASBO), advising administrators on current legal issues and developments they may face in their job.
Nizer believes in a flexible, multi-faceted, project-based learning experience for his students. “A teacher must be flexible in their approach, as each student is their own individual learner with their own strengths and needs. Learning to problem-solve, through projects presented in and out of the classroom, along with hands on learning, is the most effective way to apply and generalize the knowledge students gain in school,” he said.
Outside of the classroom, Nizer enjoys spending time with his family (wife Eileen, daughter Adeline, and sons Jack and Liam), performing in local music groups, and collecting and restoring antique and classic cars; he is also an avid fly fisherman.
Learn more about Questar III BOCES’s Special Education programs here.
