Dr. Hank Stopinski

The Health Sciences Charter School (HSCS), which will launch its inaugural year on Aug. 18 at 169 Sheridan Parkside Dr., Tonawanda, NY, has named Dr. Hank Stopinski as its principal, concluding a national search.
Dr. Stopinski, 48, who grew up in the Buffalo area, has been director of career and technical education, Capital Region BOCES, in Albany, NY, since 2003. For more than 20 years, he was involved in public education in New York State and Vermont, teaching science and career/technical curricula, coaching and advising students, and holding administrative positions.
“We are pleased to announce that this outstanding educator who possesses comprehensive and diverse experience is at the helm of our new high school,” said David A. Palmer, chairman of the HSCS Board of Trustees. “Dr. Stopinski has the skills and the vision to lead students preparing for 21st Century careers in the health sciences. There is a real need – and significant future opportunity – to fill such positions in Western New York and beyond.”

The school will open this summer with an initial class of 120 ninth graders. One grade level will be added each year through 2013, when the school expects to have a total student body of approximately 500 students.
“I am looking forward to working with community leaders and our healthcare partners to meet the Health Sciences Charter School’s goal of providing an academically challenging learning environment and real-world internships to prepare students for quality careers in the health sciences,” Dr. Stopinski said.
Dr. Stopinski’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Stopinski, live in Getzville, NY, and his grandmother, Mrs. Marion Baran, lives in North Tonawanda. Dr. Stopinski recalls happy childhood memories with them and with his late grandparents, John Baran and Julius and Stephania Stopinski, as he learned about his Polish heritage.
“Polish traditions and blessings filled our lives as we gathered together for dinners, shopped at the Broadway Market, and attended Mass at beautiful churches in Buffalo and Cheektowaga,” he said. “I have carried those memories and the importance of family with me for my entire life, and now I am happy that this wonderful opportunity brings me back to the Buffalo area with my wife and children.”
Dr. Stopinski’s wife, Carol, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Pietraszak of Snyder. Dr. and Mrs. Stopinski are the parents of two sons, Jason and Peter.
Dr. Stopinski has an associate’s degree from State University of New York’s School of Environmental Science and Forestry at Wanekena, NY; bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Castleton (Vermont) State College; and a doctorate in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.