Welcome and congratulations to Amanda Kavanagh, the South Huntington School District’s new Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, 7-12. Ms. Kavanagh comes to us from the Hewlett-Woodmere School District where she has worked since 2016. She began her career with that district as Director of Instructional and Administrative Technology, and in 2022, she became Assistant Superintendent of Teaching, Learning, and Technology.
The duties of the new assistant superintendent will include overseeing all curriculum areas in grades seven through twelve including core subjects and electives, exploring new courses, evaluating teachers, reviewing test data, and revamping current material to adapt to any changes made by the New York State Department of Education. Ms. Kavangh will also be in charge of the Fine Arts program and Technology in the district for all grades, kindergarten through twelfth.
Her education career began in the classroom as a special education teacher at Calhoun High School in Merrick. It was during her nine years in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School district that she began to delve more into the integration of education and technology, and it became her passion. She found it could be helpful not only for students with disabilities, but could provide engaging learning experiences for all students and their teachers.
It really came into sharper focus during the COVID pandemic as technology became a huge part of the education solution for all school districts, including Hewlett-Woodmere, where Ms. Kavanagh was Director of Instructional Technology at the time. And then a career move for a colleague became a career move for her. “Our deputy superintendent, who oversaw curriculum and instruction, left to be a superintendent in Suffolk County,” explained Ms. Kavanagh. ‘So my superintendent consolidated our roles. I kept all of the technology and added the oversight of curriculum and instruction, grades Pre-K through 12.”
Although Ms. Kavanagh’s teaching career officially began in 2008, she’ll tell you that it actually started with her mother, who was a Life Skills special education teacher in her high school in West Islip. The inspiration to teach took hold as she got involved with helping her mother’s students. “I was working with her students,” said Ms. Kavanagh, “going on field trips, being a part of that. She is the reason why I do this.”
Leaving her colleagues and staff in Hewlett-Woodmere is going to be the hardest thing about the move, admits Ms. Kavanagh. But she’s looking forward to adding her family to the South Huntington family. A shorter commute means having her children become more involved in the extracurricular parts of her job the way she did with her mother. “I think the family piece is so important. I have three sons. One who's twelve, one who's eight and one who's two. I want my kids to be here with me at events, when possible, and feel like I'm part of the community,” said Ms. Kavanagh.
Ms. Kavanagh received her Bachelor of Science in Special Education and Social Studies from Dowling College, her Master of Science in Educational Technology from Long Island University, and her Certificate of Leadership from Stony Brook University. She has her NYS Certifications in SDL, SBL, Educational Technology Specialist, Special Education Grades 7-12 and Social Studies Grades 7-12.
Amanda Kavanagh begins her new position here in South Huntington on Monday, February 12th. She spoke with us about her career and what she hopes to do as she begins a new chapter with us.
What moved you from teaching to administration?
The work that I did around technology is really what pulled me out of the classroom. I earned my Master's in Educational Technology. Little by little, I became more of a teacher leader, and became a tech mentor for the district in Bellmore-Merrick at the time. I really got to see the impact I could have on my colleagues and therefore all of the students instead of just a select few.
What led you to South Huntington?
I grew up in Suffolk County. But I've always worked in Nassau. Committing to Hewlett, I knew it was an hour commute every day each way. So I knew that I could do that for a while, but I've really kept my eyes open to see if there's anything that really stands out. And when this posting came, I said I really have to look into this place [South Huntington]. And I did. I started looking at your social media. I started looking at your website, and just talking to people that I knew. Everybody had really good things to say, and there is certainly pride in the community. At each interview, I was met with great people who love what they do and are looking to move forward, which is refreshing because you don't always find that. Sometimes it's “we're good where we are” and I don't get that sense here. I think we feel great about where we are, but we want to go to the next level. And I'm really excited about that.
What are you most looking forward to in your new position?
Getting into the buildings and really starting to understand the culture. I plan to pace myself and really want to be thoughtful. I want to work together with all of our leaders because I'm sure there are incredible ideas already out there, but I think that first moment where together we think of something and put it in action, I can't wait for that.