HCSD Welcomes New Assistant Principal Jennifer Spagnola to HAS

The Harrison Central School District welcomes Jennifer Spagnola to the leadership team as the new Assistant Principal of the Harrison Avenue Elementary School. Ms. Spagnola, who will begin on September 12, 2016, most recently served as the Assistant Director of Math, Science, and Technology in the Kingston City School District, where she supported teachers and principals with curriculum, instruction, and assessment initiatives. In this leadership role, Ms. Spagnola also led professional development for teachers and played an integral role on the district’s DTSDE Review Team to support school improvement.

Ms. Spagnola’s teaching experience includes sixteen years as a first and fifth grade teacher in the Arlington Central School District, where she also served as a math leader and professional development facilitator. This work included leading teachers in lesson studies, facilitating discussions about the use of student assessment data to inform instructional design and delivery, and developing rubrics to assist teachers with standards-based grading of performance tasks. Ms. Spagnola’s prior experience also includes contributing to the design of her district’s strategic plan and helping implement a professional learning community model to support teacher growth.

Ms. Spagnola earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a master’s degree in elementary education from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She also earned a certificate of advanced study in school leadership from SUNY New Paltz, and she has participated in a Principal’s Institute to prepare aspiring teachers for educational leadership.