Farmingdale High School's former principal, Robert Lewis, retired at the end of the school year, leaving newly appointed Allan Bauer to uphold Lewis' high standards. As principal, Bauer said he is prepared to implement his long-term plans to pave the way for Farmingdale's optimistic future.

After undergoing five levels of thorough interviews and surpassing qualified competitors, former assistant principal Bauer officially took over Lewis' principal duties on July 1, after serving as assistant principal for five years. In his new role, Bauer feels that his biggest challenge is to make Farmingdale an overall better place for the 2,100 students he expects will attend within the next few years.

"I think this school is a marvelous school and if you look at the school report card, certainly our levels bare that out," Bauer said. "But we're not necessarily satisfied with that. We always strive to do a better job and give kids more of an opportunity to get the most out of their educational situation."

As principal, he said his goals remain similar to those he envisioned for Farmingdale as the school's assistant principal: to work with Farmingdale's staff and community to "see how we can get better in a variety of areas." He said he will venture to lower Farmingdale's dropout rates, improve curriculum and add new and challenging courses. Also, he has set his sights on assuring that those students who need a little extra help receive it.

Bauer said the only pressing worry he has concerns the school's rapid growth; he expects Farmingdale's student body to grow by 100 to 130 new students each year.

"We've taken a number of steps in reconverting some classrooms to academic classrooms, taking some offices or some other usage places and making them classrooms," Bauer said of his plans to address this problem. Currently, he estimates that Farmingdale remains one of the top five most populated high schools in Nassau County.

Despite a fast-growing student body, Bauer said that Farmingdale's "upbeat" and "supportive" community gives him the greatest cause for optimism for the school's future.

"The type of community we have here in Farmingdale ... really does transcend into the kids," Bauer said. "There are kids that come in here, they're eager to learn, they're eager to participate. It's just an absolute joy to come in here, and see the positive culture that we do have here at the high school and in the community."

As the summer winds down, with the new school year around the corner, Bauer said he hopes to live up to Lewis' high standards. "[Bob Lewis], by far, was the best school administrator that I ever worked for and I have been an assistant principal for 15 years," Bauer said. Like Lewis, Bauer said he hopes that, after laboring like any educator who really wants to help children, he is remembered as a man who "came in and did the best he could to help children and their futures."