Daniel Mault is the new principal at Royalton-Hartland Elementary School

Thomas Tedesco |, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·2 min read

Mar. 16—GASPORT — The Royalton-Hartland school board has appointed a new elementary school principal. Longtime teacher Daniel Mault will succeed Donna Van Slyke, who's retiring.

The school board approved Mault's appointment at a special meeting Wednesday.

Mault, a native of Pembroke, has worked in the Roy-Hart district for the entirety of his 17-year teaching career, as a third- and fourth-grade teacher and, more recently, as a teacher on special assignment in technology integration throughout the district.

"I feel like these are my roots," Mault said. "This is where I've been, this is where I started and I've never had another job somewhere else. So it's been great to continue the journey up the into administration."

Mault said his background in elementary education and technology integration will have considerable influence in his new role as principal.

"I've always been huge into technology and being in my previous position of being a technology integrator, I want to continue the path of finding the newest and the latest things that we need to weave into the curriculum," he said.

Since he's stepping into the RHES principal's post halfway through the academic year, Mault said he does not plan on making any major changes to the school at this point, but he is starting to consider and discuss plans for next year.

"Going forward, we'll see what all the stakeholder groups are wanting at this stage and the direction we want to move in," Mault said.

One new potential program idea that he mentioned specifically was The Leader in Me, which would educate students about leadership and various other life skills.

"It's not quite a character education program, but it just teaches kids to be better human beings," Mault said.

He added that he sees his new leadership position as a way to collaborate more with those in the school district and community.

"I have my own ideas, but also I know that it's not my school, it's our school. It's everybody in this community. It's our students, it's our teachers as well, and I hope that we can bring all of those ideas and we can bring all of those voices together to make a good path," he said.

Van Slyke, the departing RHES principal, is working in the district office on curriculum and assessment until her retirement in August.