Calhoun High School principal Nicole Hollings charged with DWI, acting school chief Michael Hughes appointed
Nicole Hollings in Nassau District Court in July. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
An acting principal has taken the helm at Sanford H. Calhoun High School in Merrick after the school's leader took a leave of absence following a drunken driving arrest this summer.
Michael Hughes will take over for Principal Nicole Hollings, who has been accused of driving while intoxicated on July 1 and crashing into a tree, according to officials and police reports.
Hollings has been charged with one count of driving while intoxicated, first offense; operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content over the legal limit of 0.08; and aggravated driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content higher than 0.18, public records show. She pleaded not guilty to those charges.
Her attorney, Robert Schalk, said in a brief phone call Wednesday that Hollings was fighting the charges and is “afforded a presumption of innocence.”
“Miss Hollings has been a lifelong educator and she has a tremendous amount of support from her community and from her school district,” Schalk said, declining to comment further. Attempts to reach Hollings were unsuccessful.
The principal allegedly crashed a 2023 BMW X1 into a tree on Lakeview Avenue near Southard Avenue in Rockville Centre at about 11:25 p.m. July 1, police records show. Responding Rockville Centre officers found the car pinned to a tree, its air bags deployed, as she sat behind the wheel. She smelled of alcohol, had “glassy, bloodshot eyes” and was “unsteady on her feet,” according to the police accident report. While records show she declined a breath test at the scene, Hollings was arrested and taken to Nassau University Medical Center, where she later consented to a blood test.
The Nassau County medical examiner toxicology laboratory determined Hollings had a blood alcohol content of 0.25%, according to court documents.
A spokeswoman for the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District confirmed Wednesday that Hollings has taken a leave of absence from her position.
Michael Harrington, the district's superintendent of schools, announced Hughes' appointment in a letter shared with school parents and students. Hughes, he wrote, started out as a science teacher at Calhoun in 2009 before rising to principal of the district’s Alternative/Twilight High School and later to district-wide science chairperson. Most recently, he was one of three assistant principals at Calhoun.
The district is now seeking an interim assistant principal, Harrington wrote.
Harrington declined to provide further comment on what the district called personnel matters, according to a spokesperson.
Hollings' arrest has sparked mixed reaction in the community, ranging from support to anger.
Christina LeNoble, 39, of Wantagh, told Newsday she was Hollings' student more than 20 years ago at Wellington C. Mepham High School in North Bellmore. LeNoble said Hollings was a positive role model, as a teacher and mentor.
“It doesn’t make sense,” LeNoble said.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
