Great Neck South High School will be named the William A. Shine-Great Neck South High School on Sunday, Nov. 5, at a ceremony beginning at 2 p.m. in the South High School Music Room, 341 Lakeville Road. The community is invited to join in this historic occasion to acknowledge Dr. Shine for his brilliant 22-year leadership of the Great Neck Public Schools.

The proposal to name a school after Dr. Shine was made by the United Parent-Teacher Council (UPTC) in June 2003. In a letter to the board of education, Pam Fogel, president of UPTC at the time, wrote, "Our full membership supports this proposal to name a school in Dr. Shine's honor. This would be a fitting tribute for his years of service to our school district." In keeping with board of education policy, a second request must be made three years after the original proposal. Subsequently, Moira Murphy, current president of UPTC, reintroduced the request this past June. A resolution to name Great Neck South High School in honor of Dr. Shine "in recognition of his special contributions to the Great Neck Public Schools and the children of Great Neck" was unanimously approved by the board of education at its meeting of June 19, 2006.

Dr. Shine led the Great Neck Public Schools from 1982 to 2004. During his outstanding tenure as superintendent, he also served, for a time, as interim principal at both the John L. Miller-Great Neck North High School and at South High School. Dr. Shine, who clearly put children first, believed that his place was in the schools --- and that is where he could often be found during the school day and, after school, at plays, concerts, athletic events, and the like.

Hallmarks of Dr. Shine's career in Great Neck include school-based management, shared decision making, and small class size. Dr. Shine initiated Shared Decision Making committees in each school, composed of parents, students (in the secondary schools), teachers, and administrators. He also established a districtwide UPTC Shared Decision Making Committee, which served as a model for New York State; the State recently mandated a Shared Decision Making committee in every school district.

Dr. Shine considered small class size to be the most important element in ensuring a good education, particularly in the early grades. In the secondary schools, Dr. Shine advocated smaller numbers as well. He often said that professional educators should be able to know the name of every student in the school. Dr. Shine, who is a person of indisputable integrity, believed in conducting school business in the open, "under glass," which he did throughout his superintendency.

Dr. Shine is credited with ensuring that physical education facilities and athletic fields were a major component of the district's building renovation programs in 1984 and 1998. Implementation of an innovative recess program at the elementary school level, which featured planned physical education activities for the children by certified physical educators, is another example of Dr. Shine's initiative in this area. In 1990, the Nassau Zone of the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance presented an Honor Award to Dr. Shine, who was hailed as a vigorous advocate for a strong health, physical education, and recreation curriculum and for being instrumental in promoting fitness- and safety-related programs and activities in Great Neck and Nassau County.

Dr. Shine has authored numerous acclaimed articles and papers for professional publications and symposia. These include "AIDS and the Public Schools," presented at an annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (Oct. 1987), and "Affluent Adolescents," published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics (Feb. 1992) and later incorporated as a chapter in the "Cultural and Social Influences" section of Comprehensive Adolescent Health Care (1992 edition).

Dr. Shine is also an exceptional orator. In March 1992, he gave testimony at a hearing of the US Congress Joint Economic Committee Education and Health Subcommittee. His prepared statement was titled, "Future of Our Schools." It focused on ways to improve the existing educational system and offered suggestions for educational reform. Dr. Shine wrote, "...We all know what we want for our children: a wholesome environment, safe from physical and emotional harm, and teaching by capable instructors ... Our nation's schools have continued to attempt to meet the challenge. Important resources are needed. More clarity is needed. Congress should not add to the confusion. It should do the right thing. Fund schools. Have national criteria that are easily understood and measured. Maintain a balance of power between the teaching force and the community it serves. Empower and require locally elected boards of education to discharge, within clear state guidelines, their fundamental right and responsibility to govern the nation's schools. The children and youth of our nation have common needs and our system has the capacity to meet those needs. This belief must be shared and willed by those who make our laws and lead our country...."

Dr. Shine's career as an educator spans almost five decades and encompasses all levels of education, from elementary to university. He has been an elementary and secondary school teacher and principal; a college and university professor; and superintendent in five school districts, including Great Neck and, most recently, Manhasset. For four years, Dr. Shine was an assistant commissioner for curriculum and instruction in the New Jersey Department of Education.

Dr. Shine holds an EdD in the social and philosophical foundations of education, an EdM in educational administration, and an MA in English literature, all from Rutgers University. He was graduated from Iona College with a BA in history. Dr. Shine is a Lt. Colonel, United States Marine Corps, Retired.