District News

Meet the new East Hill Elementary principal

 

July, 2011

 

On July 18, Stacy Ward, the coordinator of instructional services at HFM BOCES will take over as principal of East Hill Elementary School. She will replaces the retiring Virginia Nyahay, who served as principal for 17 years.

The Canajoharie Board of Education made her appointment official during its meeting on Thursday, June 23.

A native of West Hartford, Conn., Ms. Ward earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Notre Dame and her Master of Arts in Educational Administration from SUNY Albany. Over her career, she’s taught kindergarten, first, second, and fifth grades. For the last four years, she served as coordinator of instructional services at HFM BOCES.

Superintendent Richard Rose said Ward brings experience and enthusiasm for the position and looks forward to working with her.

“Stacy makes an excellent addition to our staff and is focused on molding not just learners but individuals,” he said. “She brings a lot of energy to the position and will well-prepare these students for the next step in their education.”

In summer 2005, Ms. Ward worked as a principal intern with Mrs. Nyahay at East Hill and looked forward to someday working at the school.

“I loved working with Mrs. Nyahay and it was a great experience” she said.

Ms. Ward calls her leadership style “collaborative,” and likes to work together with staff to achieve their goals. And with such as committed staff, she says she’s confident the school can take the challenges ahead.

“My goals are to continue Canajoharie's strong educational programs and implement the Race to the Top initiatives, New York’s new program to improve the quality of teaching and learning,” she said. “I also want to prepare students for the 21st century global economy and help them be creative thinkers and problem solvers.”