At its March 15 meeting, the Bethlehem Central Board of Education is expected to appoint David Doemel, Jr. as principal of Bethlehem Central High School. Doemel has been a hall principal at the school since 2013 and is currently serving as interim principal at the middle school.

Doemel’s appointment as principal will be effective on July 1. A search committee, which included representatives from the Board of Education, administrators, teachers, staff, students and parents, recommended Doemel after considering more than a dozen candidates for the position.

Superintendent Jody Monroe said Doemel will be appointed to a four-year probationary term as principal of the school, which serves more than 1,600 students. During the 2016-17 school year, Doemel has served as interim principal at Bethlehem Central Middle School while that school’s principal, Mr. Michael Klugman, assumed an interim principal role at the high school. Klugman will resume his role as principal of the middle school on July 1.

“We are fortunate that with the appointment of Dave Doemel as principal of the high school, we are strengthening an administrative team that has proven time and again that students are the district’s number one priority,” said Superintendent Jody Monroe. “Mr. Doemel has demonstrated unique abilities to motivate students, foster a team-focused environment among his colleagues and engage the community in the mission of the school district.”

Prior to his first appointment as a high school administrator in Bethlehem in 2013, Doemel worked as a school counselor in the East Greenbush Central School District and began his career in education teaching English and Global Studies at Christian Brothers Academy. He holds a master’s degree from Sage Graduate School and a bachelor’s from St. Bonaventure University and received his Educational Leadership Certificate from The College of Saint Rose.

Doemel and his wife Stefanie, a teacher at Slingerlands Elementary School, reside in Delmar with their two children.

“We are excited to announce the appointment of Mr. Doemel as principal,” said Board of Education President Matt Downey. “In his time here in Bethlehem, he has established an exceptionally strong rapport with students, staff and parents. He has quietly built a reputation as a trusted leader and as a thoughtful educator dedicated to the needs of our students.

“The high school will be well-served by his appointment,” said Downey.​