James Bates Joins Mendon High School as New Assistant Principal
The Short Version
- James Bates joins Mendon High School as assistant principal October 9, 2026 — the Pittsford Board of Education formally approved the hire at its September 8 meeting.
- Bates started as a middle school biology teacher, became a department head at East Rochester High School, then served as AP at Monroe 2 BOCES and Western Wayne Summer Academy before this appointment.
- Mendon High School enrolls 919 students in grades 9-12; Bates joins Stephanie Barg and Andrea Lynch, both experienced school administrators, on the building's leadership team.
- The hire brings Mendon to three assistant principals — Barg (former Jefferson Road principal), Lynch (former Churchville-Chili instructional coach), and Bates — covering a school of nearly 1,000 students.
Mendon High School will have a third assistant principal on October 9. The Pittsford Board of Education made it official at its September 8, 2026 meeting: James Bates joins the building with two prior AP appointments and a career that started in a middle school biology classroom.
From Biology Teacher to School Administrator
From Biology Teacher to School Administrator
Bates built his career from inside the classroom. He taught middle school biology, then earned a department leader role at East Rochester High School — the track that runs through the curriculum before it runs through the administration. As a department head, you represent your subject in district-level decisions, manage a team of teachers, and serve as the first escalation point when instruction breaks down. That path tends to produce administrators who know what teachers actually need, having recently been one.
From there his career moved into building-level administration: Monroe 2 BOCES and Western Wayne Summer Academy, both as an Assistant Principal. Two AP roles before this one means Mendon is not where he figures out how to run a building.
Mendon High School's Assistant Principal Team
Mendon High School's Assistant Principal Team
Mendon High School serves 919 students in grades 9 through 12 in Pittsford Central School District. Its departments span English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World Languages, Business, Art, and Health — a breadth where a background in science education translates directly across most of the faculty.
Two assistant principals were already in place before this hire. Stephanie Barg came to MHS from Jefferson Road Elementary, where she served as principal, and previously held the district's Social Emotional Learning Coordinator role. Andrea Lynch brought instructional coaching experience from Churchville-Chili Central School District. The three of them now cover a school of nearly 1,000 students.
The Board Vote and What Comes Next
The Board Vote and What Comes Next
The appointment was a formal board action. The Pittsford Board of Education voted to approve the hire at its September 8, 2026 meeting, with the announcement going out through the superintendent's newsletter.
Bates's start date is October 9. The building will have three assistant principals in place for the rest of the school year.
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