Merrick Schools Welcome Two New Administrators

This year, the Merrick School District has welcomed Michael DeLuca as the new assistant principal at Chatterton School and Justin Gabrus as the new assistant principal at Levy Lakeside School. DeLuca has been working in education since the 2007-08 school year in the Baldwin and West Hempstead school districts, where he worked in a variety of instructional roles, and Gabrus began his career as an academic intervention services instructor in the North Bellmore School District in 2008 and has worked in Freeport and Malverne since.

During the past eight years, DeLuca taught fourth and fifth grades, as well as English as a New Language, at P.S. 71 in the Bronx. While there, he was deeply involved in various school committees, including the school’s anti-bullying committee, one of his favorites due to the level of student participation and the positive effect it had on the school community.

“I really enjoy being a ‘go-to guy,’” DeLuca said. “I believe my past experiences and interactions with students, parents and teachers as well as the knowledge and skills I have learned through the years will be helpful to Principal [Dana] Bermas in ensuring only the best for Chatterton families.”

Last year DeLuca served as assistant principal of P.S. 1 in the Bronx, a 3K (preschool) through fifth-grade building. With roots in North Bellmore, he is happy to be working back on Long Island and looks forward to meeting all the students and encouraging them to always give their best effort.

In 2009, Gabrus began teaching elementary education in the Freeport School District, working with Teacher’s College in finding ways to differentiate instruction. He later served as a reading specialist for the Malverne School District.

“As an administrator you have the ability to be a positive influence not just on students, but on the entire school community,” said Gabrus, who considers integrity and grit instilled by his father as his strongest attributes. “My father always told me it wasn’t that I couldn’t do it, it was that I haven’t learned how to do it yet."

Gabrus took on many leadership roles in the Malverne School District, including the planning and implementation of fully digital classrooms. He also directed the district’s Saturday Academy, created and chaired book clubs, was a sixth-grade dean and served on various committees.

DeLuca and his wife Lisa reside in Bethpage with their two children. Gabrus lives in North Bellmore with his wife Jackie and their two-year-old son and are expecting another boy in November.

Photo: Justin Gabrus, left, and Michael DeLuca. Courtesy Merrick School District.