The New Lebanon Central School District would like to formally welcome Kellie Daino. Ms. Daino started at Walter B. Howard Elementary in September 2020 teaching band, chorus and general music.
Ms. Daino graduated early from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, Summa Cum Laude, with a Bachelor’s in Music Education in 2016. In Spring of 2017, she earned a Master of Music in Education, also at Crane School of Music.
Prior to joining New Lebanon, Ms. Daino spent the previous three years at Andes Central School District, NY. There, she taught general music, choir and band at grade levels spanning from Pre-K through grade 12.
Ms. Daino grew up in Binghamton, NY, where she was a student at Maine-Endwell school district. “We had a fantastic arts program, but students were involved in sports and academic competitions well,” she noted, adding, “I was on the Science Olympiad team.”
Ms. Daino’s parents reside in Binghamton and she has triplet younger sisters, who are in college. She is an avid runner, “I am up to a 5K but am working toward longer distances! I enjoy getting out in nature and hiking too.”
On teaching music, she explained, “I love that music facilitates the connections we can make together. I see the excitement and the growth my students make through creating and experiencing music. My favorite part of teaching music is when each student sees that they are capable of doing and understanding so much more than they thought they could.”
She says she was drawn to New Lebanon by the close-knit community and the passion of the teachers and administration. “Since I have been here, I have experienced the support that the parents have for their students and the success of the district, and have felt welcomed into the community at WBH, so that I can teach music to these wonderful students.”
Welcome to Ms. Daino!