schools

Byram Hills Superintendent Jen Lamia Focuses on Leadership & Collaboration

December 1, 2017 by Stacey Pfeffer

With nearly three decades of experience in the Byram Hills School District, Jen Lamia has seen educational trends come and go but in her new role as Superintendent, Lamia knows firsthand that the collaborative culture is paramount to the district’s success and goal of “creating leaders of the next generation.” The Inside Press had the opportunity to sit down with her and hear how she plans to continue keeping the district nationally ranked for its excellent reputation.

A New City resident, Lamia recalls playing school with her friends as a little girl and hearing stories about her father’s job as a principal in a New York City high school. In college she majored in English literature and initially planned to work in journalism but when she took her education classes for her minor, she knew it was the right career choice for her. Lamia has two sons, J.P, 17, and Michael, 16 and credits them for giving her a “real sense of what it is like” for high school students and their parents today.

Creating Leaders for the Next Generation

Since assuming the role of Superintendent on July 1, Lamia and the administration hit the ground running with some “lofty initiatives” in a two-day goal making retreat for 23 district administrators. Under the umbrella of creating leaders of the next generation, the faculty discussed the concept of leadership and what that means for students. Lamia feels that in order for students to become leaders they need to “identify who they are, assess what their needs are and what resources are available and figure out who can help them on their journey.”

During our hour-long conversation with much of it focused on leadership, Lamia references Simon Sinek, the popular TED speaker and leadership expert who believes that all leaders must start with the question “why?” “The administrators were asked why are they doing what they are doing? What are the outcomes for students and as an educator how are we going to get them there? The administrators worked on these answers collaboratively this summer,” explains Lamia. When asked why prospective buyers should move to the Byram Hills school district, Lamia’s answer is at the ready. She pulls out a binder that sits on her desk and answers succinctly on how the district is focused on creating leaders of the next generation. It’s a document that she and her administrators “live and breathe everyday.”

Research Underpins Decisions in the District

The district has several research initiatives underway in partnerships with leading universities and institutions. This fall, two administrators were sent to the top three universities accepting Byram Hills High School graduates with the goal of assessing whether their offerings in STEAM education were aligned with what higher educations expectations were. “There’s all this push for STEAM and the next generation standards of science but we wanted to interview our students and ask if they feel prepared.”

Similarly, when the district was choosing a new math program for K-5, the district evaluated seven programs and piloted two. Acknowledging that changes needed to be made, Lamia is quick to explain that they don’t make decisions in haste. The district’s decisions are based on careful research.

Student Wellness: A Key Focus

Lamia believes that students can’t learn until they are emotionally ready to. In order to support student readiness, the district in collaboration with BOCES has a partnership with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Teachers are being trained in the whole growth mindset and mood meters. The district is also working with Stanford University to survey 6-12 grade students on stress, anxiety, support, social pressures and homework. “It is the first time we are getting a snapshot of what’s going on in the district with data. We hear anecdotally that some kids are getting too much homework and others too little but anecdotes don’t give you the big picture,” noted Lamia. “We want to hear their [student] voices and experiences.

Not every child is articulating how they feel and many kids go about their day seemingly enjoy themselves but they may be struggling.”

The district is also working with the University of Michigan and training several educators, guidance counselors and school psychologists on cognitive-based therapy to help struggling students. They also held a panel discussion for parents and addressed questions such as when to get help for a struggling student, where to get help and how long should that help last which offered parents a lot of good guidance.

Collaborative Culture

Lamia enjoys the collaborative culture of the district and feels that it is a hallmark of the district’s success. “The vision of the district and the vision of the community are aligned which doesn’t always happen elsewhere. We have incredibly knowledgeable people on our district’s board of education that bring a unique skill set and care about every kid in the community. Will there be times that people complain? Absolutely but you have to listen because there may be a nugget in there that is very valuable.”

Celebrating Individuality

Lamia notes that the Byram Hills mission statement is ‘do what you like, be who you are’. “There are kids who excel at athletics, poetry and as scientists and their talents run the gamut. When I was growing up every piece of knowledge was taught to me. Today your knowledge comes from experiences and its more critical than ever to help students determine what they like and figure out who they are.” One way the students are figuring out their passion is through the eighth grade capstone project. Students undertake a yearlong research project and it can be as diverse as studying ways to increase fundraising for their baseball team to clean water solutions in Nicaragua. Lamia believes projects like these are critical for student growth and development and to help them discover their passions.

A Lifelong Educator

Currently a doctoral candidate with Johns Hopkins University, Lamia is focusing on teacher mentoring through an online course of study. She anticipates completion of her doctorate by May and is in the process of developing an e-mentoring platform that supports pedagogical content knowledge. “The standard for pedagogy has changed. It’s not enough for teachers to read off a PowerPoint. They need to have the students engaged.” Acknowledging that professional development for teachers is often a time constraint especially when they are out of the classroom, Lamia hopes that her platform will make it more convenient for teachers to advance their skills.

Since 1990 Lamia has been with the district holding various titles such as English department curriculum chairwoman, assistant principal, assistant to the Superintendent and an assistant Superintendent for human resources. But it’s clear that she is not the type of administrator to rest on her laurels and sit behind her desk. As the interview concludes, she excuses herself as the Byram Hills Bobcats are playing a home game and she wants to catch some of it. When we get to the field, the Bobcats are winning. “That’s great,” she exclaims. Lamia wants every child in the district to succeed whether it be in the classroom or on the field. With her at the district’s helm, the chances are certainly that much greater.

Dr. Lyn McKay Shares her Love for Reading

September 1, 2015 by The Inside Press

By Dawn Greenberg

It’s both a comfort and a joy that Dr. Lyn McKay, despite the unrelenting demands of her job as the Superintendent of the Chappaqua Central School District, remains an avid book lover–and even finds time to read, both for professional development
and pleasure.

In fact, Dr. McKay has a Ph.D. in Reading in addition to her Supervision and Administration Cognate. Growing up in New Jersey, reading was always an important part of her family life from her earliest years. Early favorites included the Nancy Drew and Clara Barton, Nurse, series.

She notes that her family read the newspaper twice daily–the early morning delivery of the main paper and the evening independent paper. She was also an avid reader of comics, including Little Lulu.

“As I got older, I became a Dickens fan and then when my children were young and I was studying children’s literature at Columbia, I would read children’s classics to my own children. We loved Make Way for Ducklings, all the Angus books, and Play with Me.” Lyn’s favorite book was everybody’s favorite: The Secret Garden. “I periodically pick it up and read it even now. I just think it’s the best.”

Dr. McKay has three children and eight grandchildren with whom she happily shares her love of reading. She has two favorites she reads with the grandchildren who range from one and a half to 16-years-old.

For the little ones, Hurricane by David Weisner is one that is read very often. For those who are elementary and middle, they read A Christmas Carol together during the holidays when Dr. McKay sets up her Christmas Carol village.

To my delight, Dr. McKay and I had a chance to chat about her own as well as the District’s philosophy as it pertains to reading and her impression of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival. Here’s our conversation:

DG: Thinking about reading in our schools, I think obviously our teachers do a fabulous job with it. And in letting the kids drive what interests them I think that’s so important. What do you think our strengths are and what is your overarching philosophy?

Dr. McKay: My overarching philosophy is that students need to read a lot and have a lot of choice in selecting books. We want children of all ages to love reading.

DG: Everyday?

Dr. McKay: Everyday.

DG: Even in the summer?

Dr. McKay: Especially in the summer.Students should be reading what they enjoy and talking to their parents and friends about their favorite books. During the school year, as well, students should be reading during and after school each day. In our elementary school reading workshop, for example, teachers provide time for silent reading and small group book discussions. They also ensure that students select books that are on their instructional and independent levels. In other words, students are reading books that are neither too difficult nor too easy, which allows them to continually master reading skills. Teachers teach students how to select books that are on their reading levels so students do not struggle unnecessarily.

DG: Absolutely, I mean it’s hard to keep my third-grader from Harry Potter and he is not there yet.

Dr. McKay: Choice is important, too. We provide a variety of genres in our classroom libraries. We want to ensure that children are reading nonfiction as well as fiction. My own 12-year-old granddaughter loves biography. She is not in one of Chappaqua’s schools, but she probably has read more biographies at her age than I have.

DG: I love biographies. I am very much a non-fictional person.

Dr. McKay: The reader’s and writer’s workshops are critically important to us because they include vast classroom libraries that provide students with a variety of choices and ranges of reading levels to choose from. We now have more classroom libraries and choice reading at our middle schools and even at our high school than we did even five years ago.

DG: So you don’t say, “You have to read…,” you say, “You can choose to read…?”

Parents and friends provided an authentic audience for students in English 9/10 classes at Greeley. Students showcased a favorite piece of writing repre- senting many genres including literary essays, persuasive pieces, definition essays, personal narratives, reader-response pieces, and poetry. Guests also were asked to give the author feedback by writing a few comments on a notecard.

Dr. McKay: I would say both. Students should read daily and have some choice about what they read. Frequently, students select from a large variety of texts. At times, teachers require particular books and support students as they read them. At other times
students choose from teacher-selected genre. In addition, students should have opportunities each day to read for pleasure. One question you asked was about how we provide for the student who struggles and the student who is an avid reader. It is through the reader’s workshop structure, which allows teachers to easily differentiate and ensure students are reading at the appropriate levels.

DG: Right, which I think is a strength in our District.

Dr. McKay: I see it as a strength.

DG: And what would you think is a recipe for success for infecting your kids with a love of reading. If they are reluctant, what can we all do to combat that?

Dr. McKay: My answer is, “Read aloud to your children and enjoy talking with them about their favorite books.” There is lots of research indicating that reading aloud to students makes a significant difference in their comprehension and infuses a love of reading. As parents, we often think of reading aloud as what we should do with two-year-olds or four-year-olds or five-year olds, but reading aloud to older students is important as well.

I remember when my husband was reading aloud Les Miserables. He read the entire book aloud to our middle school daughter and she loved it. Children get so much more from read aloud than learning the content of a book. It increases language development, motivation, and curiosity. At the same time, parents and children can build strong relationships through read aloud.

DG: Emotional ties to the reader?

Dr. McKay: Yes. Parents sometimes think, especially with preschoolers, that it’s best to work on phonics and focus on letters and the sounds of the letters, but reading to young children is actually more important and having conversations about reading is important too. I am not talking about asking children questions about a plot, but rather having discussions about what a child predicts will happen next in a story or about what a child is curious about, for those kinds of discussions build critical thinking along with the love of reading.

One evening in June, I was in the iLab at the high school. One of our teachers, Jacqueline Abair, was having a reading and writing celebration with her ninth and tenth grade English classes. She had students write their favorite literary quotes on the walls and display their written works on posterboards.

There were parents and administrators there, and what was very exciting was the way she turned the iLab into an environment that celebrated reading and writing. The students who introduced the work stood up and read poems and then said to the audience, “Now I want you to listen to the poem a second time so you can feel it and know what it’s about.” It was a beautiful event.

Dr. McKay: It was a celebration of reading and writing in an incredible environment with a real audience. It was really so exciting!

DG: What do you think about our little book festival that we’ve started? I noticed you there with your granddaughter this year.

Dr. McKay: What really impressed me was the volume of books, the number of authors, the number of students who were just enthralled with the books…and the llamas. For my granddaughter, I don’t know what she liked more, the many books or the llamas, and I really mean that!

Dr. McKay: She loves reading and animals.

DG: Perfect.

Dr. McKay: So if there is a llama and books, you will have a very happy girl.

DG: Any favorite authors you enjoyed meeting?

Dr. McKay: We didn’t have a favorite; we just walked from one to the next to the next. We had a great time.

DG: It’s amazing, right? Each one was better than the last.

Dr. McKay: I agree. It was a terrific community and family affair. The book festival was a true celebration of literacy. What a lovely event!

DG: Thank you. We think we have even more authors this year and we are trying to bring in diversity, different ages and different genres, and it has been exciting to see some of the authors who have reached out to us– Nina Crews, David Ezra Stein.

Dr. McKay: Really?!

DG: Then you get in the position of having to turn people away or giving them half days but it is a good problem to have.

Dr. McKay: You truly have to be excited about that!

DG: Very excited. I would do it two days if we could but logistically it’s impossible.

DG: So I have to ask: What were your beach reads this summer?

Dr. McKay: Of course I am always reading professional books, which I very much enjoy. Right now, David Rock’s Your Brain at Work is very exciting to me. I like neuroscience. I also enjoyed Just Mercy, which is written by Bryan Stevenson–he is the executive director of Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama. It’s a true story of justice and redemption.

Dr. McKay: I also was with many of my grandchildren so I read a lot of children’s books with them.

DG: I really enjoyed talking to you and please be sure to put October 3rd on your calendar for the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival.

Dr. McKay: I will. It is a celebration I will be sure to attend. Thank you.

Guest Editor Dawn Greenberg is the founder and director of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, founder of Chappaqua Cares, and executive director of the Chappaqua-Millwood Chamber of Commerce. She lives with her husband Paul and son Ben in Chappaqua.

More about our School District Leader
Dr. Lyn McKay is Superintendent of the Chappaqua Central School District. She was Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction and then Deputy Superintendent for Chappaqua Schools for eight years prior. Before that she worked in Pinellas County Florida as a Reading and Language Arts Supervisor and Director of Teaching and Learning, K-12, where she established a writing demonstration school and led research, development, and implementation of curriculum and instruction, K-12. Since coming to New York, Dr. McKay has been the president of the Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES Curriculum Council, a consultant to neighboring districts on leadership practices, an executive coach, and currently co-facilitates the Tri-State Consortium’s Steering Committee. She has chaired and presented at numerous educational institutes throughout the country. Her publications include Flexible Grouping for Literacy in the Elementary Grades, Teachers on the Cutting Edge, and Extended Wait-time and its Effect on Listening Comprehension.

Dr. McKay received her master’s degree from Teachers College, Columbia University and her Ph.D. from the University of South Florida, where she became an adjunct professor.

New Castle is Our Home

August 5, 2015 by The Inside Press

My husband Jay and I moved to New Castle in 1985, years before we had children. We loved that our neighbors had grown up in New Castle and stayed to raise their children–we thought that spoke volumes about the quality of life here. We think it still does.

There is so much to appreciate here in New Castle: we love the world class education our school system offers with the small town feel where people say hello, the convenience of the train to the city, the bike path and the wonderful parks. There is a great spirit of volunteerism and a sense of community in Town. Even though our two daughters are long out of the house; New Castle is our home and will be for a long time to come.

Jill Shapiro,

Town Administrator

jshapiro@mynewcastle.org

The Town Administrator

is appointed by and responsible to the Town Board and acts as the chief administrative officer for the Town.
The Administrator’s responsibilities are:

-Oversight of all day-to-day operations of the town

-Responsible for implementing policy adopted by the town board and providing advice and assistance as requested

Finger on the Pulse

The Town Clerk keeps her finger on the pulse of the community as the keeper of all town records:

-Maintains meeting minutes and agendas, ordinances, local laws, budgets, and petitions

-Handles parking permits, marriage licenses, and dog licenses.

-Provides certified copies of marriage, birth and death records

Mary Deems, Town Clerk

mdeems@mynewcastle.org

The Chappaqua PTA: Enriching Student Education

August 5, 2015 by The Inside Press

The Chappaqua PTA is a parent-run, volunteer organization that operates on a district-wide level, as well as in all six Chappaqua public schools. The PTA works with parents, teachers and administrators to enrich the education that Chappaqua students receive. Through its 16 district-wide and nearly 175 school-based committees, the PTA sponsors numerous programs and special events. The PTA welcomes new families and encourages parents to get involved; PTA activities are a terrific way to meet new people and have fun!

The following is a small sample of PTA- sponsored activities:

District-Wide: Learning to Look art appreciation program, Young Writers’ Workshop, the Chappaqua STEM Fest, parent education programming & R21K (Raising 21st Century Kids), special education programming and advocacy related to public education.

Elementary Schools: Author’s Days, book fairs, Bookpack programs, publishing centers, family movie nights, picnics/BBQs and seasonal fairs, sustainability and philanthropic efforts, cultural enrichment, After School Enrichment and theater programs.

Middle Schools: Cultural enrichment, grade level social events, theater programs, special school events such as International Day, Career Day for 8th Graders and talent shows, as well as support for school clubs.

Horace Greeley High School: Annual Art Show, Community Service Expo, support for student activities such as the SHARE Blood Drives and Midnight Runs; Freshman Orientation, trips/socials, Freshman pasta dinner, Sophomore & Junior events such as New Driver’s Orientation and College Night, Senior Year activities such as Senior Barbeque, Beach Day, Health Day, Color Wars, Graduation Party and Annual Reunion.

For more information, please visit: chappaquapta.net

The ABC’s of Educational Success in the Byram Hills School District

April 23, 2014 by The Inside Press

Dr. William Donohue cites “coherent plans and leadership” as critical factors for the district’s educational success.

by Vicki de Vries

Only the cognoscenti know that in 2006, H.C. Crittenden Middle School received the Blue Ribbon Award for its outstanding performance and effective programs, or that science students at Bryam Hills High School are consistent semi-finalists in Intel’s Science Talent Search. Not to mention the numerous awards in athletics, music and other areas of achievement.

Clearly, the Byram Hills Central School District must be doing “something right.” What’s its formula for educational success? To ferret out the answer, Inside Armonk interviewed some of the shakers and movers inside the educational enterprise.

Hail to the Chief

Dr. Bill Donohue, Superintendent of Schools for almost two years, and an administrator in the district’s school system since 1990, says, “Besides having students who are eager to learn, we have a winning chemistry of supportive parents who care about their children’s educational achievement and well-being. Combine that with smart, caring teachers who see each child as an individual and work hard to help that child develop individual talents.

“Another important formula to ensure success is to have coherent plans and leadership throughout grades K through 12. This means that the goals, values and priorities are the same at every school building. Also, we work hard to ensure that the curriculum builds logically from one grade to another. As a result, you will not hear our teachers say, ‘I have to re-teach my students the things they should have learned last year.’

“I am extremely proud to be able to say that Byram Hills strives to achieve excellence in every program we create for our students. We want all of our students, no matter their interest or ability, to realize their potential and goals to the fullest extent possible. One of the most exciting things an educator can experience is a student who discovers a new interest and runs with it. With our resources we are able to provide such opportunities in an array of areas from the arts to science research to computer programming.”

Donohue is also proud that “so many of our teachers go out of their way to provide ‘TLC.’ For example, when a student moves into our system, the teachers work closely with that student to help him or her acclimate, transfer their successes, and strengthen any areas of academic weakness. Likewise, when a student or family member is in crisis, we feel that parents can count on our staff to rally  and respond.”

Breaking Down the Formula for  Byram Hills’ Success

Now that we know Donohue’s special formula for educational success, what is the four principals’ take on it? As one would expect, they each interpreted it in a way that resonates with their individual schools and the kind of students they serve.

So, for example, Principal Peggy McInerney said, “At Coman Hill School, we’re committed to educating the whole child, not just academically but as a person. We’ve been focusing on the three pillars of learning behaviors: respect, responsibility, and safety. We’re helping our K-2 kids see these three topics in different contexts.”

Another type of formula that McInerney, teachers and staff rely upon deals with “the three C’s”–care, courage and compassion. Care refers to the need to listen to others, whether it’s children, parents, or colleagues. One needs courage to stay focused and resolute in achieving one’s goals whether they’re for the school, for the children, or for the teachers and staff. Compassion implies showing empathy and emotional support.

“Without these three C’s, McInerney said, “it is very difficult to acquire wisdom for dealing with all the situations that come up in the typical school day let alone in terms of long-range planning.”

Principal Debra Cagliostro at The Wampus School oversees teachers and students in grades three through five. For her, the formula for success revolves around the sense of community that the teachers create with each other and with the students. “Everyone takes pride in being part of a team,” she said, “whether it is the whole Wampus team, grade-level teams or interdisciplinary teams. Our teachers work together in designing units and assessments as well as in ‘tweaking and fixing’ areas in the learning experience that need adjusting. This type of collaborative dialogue impacts our students in a big way.”

Another factor that impacts Wampus students is the emphasis on the whole child. “We’re dealing with emotional wellness as well as academics,” Cagliostro said. “We’re examining what kinds of stress elementary children are prone to have and ways in which we can support these children…. Our students need to feel cared about, they need to be allowed to be curious, and they need to feel part of a community of learners.”

Upon leaving Wampus, students say good-bye to the self-contained classroom. Helping “tweens” in the challenging transition through early adolescence at H.C. Crittenden Middle School’s more independent environment are interdisciplinary teams of teachers in the content areas of math, English, social studies, science, and world language. Each team of students shares the same schedule, same teachers, and same activities, but sameness does not characterize the learning experience at H.C. Crittenden.

Though the formula for success must now account for the needs and interests of middle-school students, the basics remain the same. Dr. H. Evan Powderly, principal at H.C. Crittenden Middle School, summarized the formula this way: “The success of any school is a complex mixture of great teachers, good students from homes that support education, and continual effort to improve our performance as educators. We have high expectations for our students, along with high support from teachers and staff.”

Dr. Powderly, like all of the principals, is proud of the awards, programs and initiatives that are distinctive to his school. Last year, H.C. Crittenden was recognized as a Reward School in New York State for its educational excellence through an increase in student achievement and closing the gap in student performance. Besides the annual Shakespeare Festival in late spring at which eighth-grade students memorize parts of “A Mid-summer’s Night Dream” in both Elizabethan and contemporary English and perform in period costumes, Powderly is pleased with the many activities, such as Revolutionary War Period dramatic monologues, mock trials, GoBots, and travel portfolio, which “are a great deal of fun combined with educational impact.”

For Byram Hills High School Principal Chris Borsari, the success formula also includes the way the school district is organized around a K-12 perspective with all the students of the same age attending the same school. The curriculum is mapped to provide continuity and a step-by-step foundation for student learning. Better known as the “Princeton Plan,” it seems to have worked well in the Byram Hills School District.

Compared to the Middle School where the learning experience focuses on “convergence, team organization and shared activities,” students at Byram Hills High School begin to experience the phenomenon known as divergence.

“Divergence,” Borsari explained, “simply refers to the idea that students are given opportunities to develop and follow their passions and interests.” Students have greater freedom to take the types of courses they want to, all of which is in keeping with “the emergence of teenagers as independent individuals.”

Borsari is particularly pleased not only with the excellent faculty that are so supportive of the students, but also with the students themselves. “We have a most unusual student body–they’re actually kind to each other.” He partially credits that to the character education program the School District initiated over 10 years ago on the elementary-school level.

The Buck Stops Here–Not!

Achievement doesn’t end with graduation. Donohue shared, “…Two of our recent graduates are about to open on Broadway: Pulitzer-prize winner Tom Kitt’s new musical is If /Then, while actress Lauryn Ciardullo is in Disney’s Aladdin.” Then, there’s the record 96-99% of graduating seniors who enroll in colleges immediately following graduation; over 70% of whom are accepted by Tier 1 and Tier 2 colleges.

Parents interviewed agree that the formula seems to be working. Pam Lynn, whose two sons graduated from BHHS in 2008 and 2012 respectively, says, “There’s something for everyone in the school district, and I am quite pleased with the level of rigor and challenge that my two sons experienced. It definitely prepared them  for college.”

Lynn said that both the academic side and the extracurricular side were excellent. What made her sons’ education truly outstanding, however, were the transformative mentor experiences they had with faculty, and the fine help they received from knowledgeable guidance counselors. The mentors helped to motivate her sons to achieve and work as hard as they could. Today, the older son is a senior software developer, while the younger son is a sophomore in college.

There is even outside validation: Donohue said that the School District is a member of the TriState Consortium of Schools and is thus “required to be evaluated by teams from similar school districts. These evaluations help us to determine if we are achieving our own goals and give us suggestions for improvement.” [Readers are encouraged to check out “Why Byram Hills is a Great Place to Learn” at http://www.byramhills.org/curriculum.cfm]

It’s hard to argue with success. Hats (and mortar boards) off to the Byram Hills Central School District!

Vicki de Vries is a freelance writer, editor and educator who enjoys living in Westchester “country.”