Principal of Stimson Middle School, Mr. Edwin Smith, will be transferring to the James Kaden Administrative Office as the new Executive Director of Personnel.
From the beginning, Mr. Smith always knew he wanted to lean into a career in education.
“There’s never ever been another pathway for me,” he said. “From a very early age I knew I wanted to be a teacher.”
Smith attended SUNY New Paltz where he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education Social Studies. He then obtained his Master of Arts degree in the Liberal Studies program with a concentration in Social Studies Education at SUNY Stony Brook.
His first day of student teaching was a monumental moment for him. He was in his third year of college and his student teaching semester, and he was nervous, but once he entered the classroom he knew he made the right decision.
“Just having this weight lifted off of me and feeling so satisfied with the choices that I had made to get me to that point,” Smith said, “I get chills.”
Mr. Smith also recognizes the distinct transition from teacher to administrator. Originally he did not have an interest in going into administration, but his principalship at Stimson was monumental, as he found himself lucky to become a part of it. Smith’s past nine years as Principal has been an incredible journey of growth for him.
Transitioning from teacher to administrator Smith had to let go of the culture of his own classroom in which a teacher’s responsibility is their room where they could create their own environment. However, that did not stop his optimism.
“I look at this building as a big classroom,” he said. “My leadership, my choices and my culture that I brought to my classroom I try to bring to this building as a whole.”
Mr. Smith has many goals for his new position, the biggest being to continue the relationships within South Huntington, in this community and beyond. He wants to grow stronger connections to colleges and expand their search, identifying people that could join the community and make this district the best it can be. He puts an emphasis on building capacity from within, encouraging our current students to return to us as members of our faculty in the future.
Outside of administration, Smith has a passion for snowboarding and is getting his family into it as well. He loves spending time in and around the water with activities such as surfing, boating and going to the beach. Smith overall just loves to be outside, and recognizes a lot of his hobbies have grown from what his children enjoy.
Mr. Smith is thrilled for this new opportunity and to continue being a part of this community. He looks forward to serving South Huntington in a new and different capacity.
About Mr. Edwin Smith:
Mr. Edwin Smith began his path to education at SUNY New Paltz, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Secondary Education Social Studies in 2000. He then obtained his Master of Arts degree in the Liberal Studies program with a concentration in Social Studies Education from SUNY Stony Brook in 2004. He received his Professional Diploma in Educational Leadership and Administration from Long Island University, C.W. Post campus in 2008. Smith also obtained two certifications, the New York State School District Administrator Certification and the New York State Social Studies 7-12 Permanent Certification.
From September 2001 to June 2008 Smith was a social studies teacher at Oldfield Middle School in the Harborfields Central School District where he served as the Social Studies Department Coordinator for a period of time as well. In 2008 Mr. Smith became the Administrative Dean at Stimson Middle School in the South Huntington School District. During his time at Stimson he was a Project Excel Coordinator as well as a Principal of the English Language Arts/Mathematics Saturday Academy. Mr. Smith remained in South Huntington until 2010 when he then became Assistant Principal for Merrick Avenue Middle School in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District.. Mr. Smith returned to South Huntington in 2013 to become the Principal of Stimson Middle School.
Mr. Smith will begin his position as Director of Personnel in February 2022.