One attended Waterville High School. The other attended all the high schools in Utica.
Lindsay (Bishopp) Owens graduated from WCS with plans to teach English. Jenny Dainotto took the business route, working as an account until her grandfather asked her what made her happy. Her answer was teaching.
This year, the career paths of Dainotto and Owens brought them both to WCS, where they join the administrative team as Junior-Senior High principal and J-S/Memorial Park School assistant principal, respectively. They join about 18 other district employees this week in starting their first year at WCS.
Dainotto grew up in Utica, starting her high school freshman year at Notre Dame High School. “My sophomore year my mother let me go to UFA, where my friend had talked about how great it was,’’ she said.
The next year the Utica City School District funneled all their high school students to the new Proctor High School, where she graduated. From there Dainotto earned degrees in accounting from Utica College and SUNY Poly.
Working in Charlotte, N.C., Dainotto said she looked to return home to help her grandparents, both of whom had health issues. “We were very close,’’ she said.
“My grandfather was a severe diabetic and lost both his legs. I needed something close by to them.’’
She took a job for an accounting firm in Utica, but had an aha moment when her grandfather asked her what would she do that would make her happy. Dainotto recalled growing up seeing her aunt become a teacher and then principal. “My sister and I played school every day,’’ she said. “It hit me that was what I really wanted to do.’’
After becoming certified, Dainotto taught math and business at her alma mater,...
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