New Principal Starts At Stimson Middle School In South Huntington

SOUTH HUNTINGTON, NY — Mike Duggan is now serving as the principal of Stimson Middle School, the South Huntington School District announced on Tuesday.

Duggan had been working as assistant principal of South Side Middle School in Rockville Centre.

Edwin Smith, the former principal of Stimson, has transitioned into a new role as director of personnel.

Prior to starting his path into education, Duggan had a passion for biology. He attended Bowling Green State University and graduated with a bachelor of science degree in biology in December 2002. Soon after, he was an aquarist for the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn, and a staff biologist for Coral World in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“It’s so much fun,” Duggan said via news release. “I spent a lot of time in the water.”

While living in St. Thomas, Duggan was asked to do a presentation on marine life to students at a Seventh Day Adventist school, and he loved it, according to the news release. He continued to do this weekly and during this time, he began to look into another grant to continue research, and his sister-in-law suggested he get his master’s degree and teach back in New York.

Duggan earned his master's in science education from Pace University in May 2007 and in environmental conversation education in December 2010. Duggan went through the New York City Teaching Fellows program and started working at a small school in Brooklyn. Duggan then realized that education was his calling.

“That’s what drew me into teaching, the blending of my life experiences into something else very cool,” he said.

Duggan taught in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx before becoming assistant principal at Bronxdale High School until June 2019, where he most recently was assistant principal of South Side Middle School in Rockville Centre.

His experience as South Side’s assistant principal was extremely positive and gave him the ability to hone his craft in leadership, especially during the coronavirus pandemic.

"Going through COVID, people really had to step up and think about education in very different ways," Duggan said.

Duggan said he is very grateful for his experience and the people he’s met in Rockville Centre, and he is honored to join South Huntington.

“The South Huntington School District is very fortunate to have Mr. Michael Duggan as the new Principal of Stimson Middle School,” said Superintendent Dr. Vito D’Elia. “We look forward to supporting Mr. Duggan in his new role as the leader of our middle school.”

As the new principal of Stimson, Duggan’s goals are to be present in everyday activities and foster strong relationships with the community, families, and students.

“Education is best when there are strong, trusting relationships formed,” he said.

Outside of administration, Duggan is a huge hockey fan, specifically of the New York Rangers. He also loves gardening, hiking and going to the beach. Duggan loves spending time with his wife and kids the most, as well as doing a lot of these activities with them.

“After an extensive search, Stimson Middle School has found a new educational leader to guide its staff and students to continued success,” Smith said. “Principal Michael Duggan is thrilled to join our school community and we are equally thrilled to have him join our educational family. Let’s show him a true Wildcat welcome!”