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Hampton Bays Middle School Assistant Principal Diane Fox.
Hampton Bays Middle School Assistant Principal Diane Fox has been selected as the 2022 New York State Secondary School Assistant Principal of the Year.
The award, given annually by the School Administrators Association of New York State and National Association of Secondary School Principals to a middle or high school assistant principal who has set the pace, character and quality of education for the students in his or her school, makes her a candidate for the national award of the same name, sponsored by NASSP. Nominees are administrators who are committed to the students, their families and the community and have shown exceptional contributions to the educational process.
“As an educational leader, she prioritizes building positive relationships with students and families and supporting teachers in the hard work of reaching and teaching every one of our students,” said Superintendent of Schools Lars Clemensen, noting how proud the district is of Fox’s distinction. “In Hampton Bays, we recognize real impact as being #HBStrong. Mrs. Fox is #HBStrong and we congratulate her on this tremendous honor.”
Known as an administrator who works tirelessly to assure all students feel comfortable and welcomed at Hampton Bays Middle School, Fox has implemented several initiatives to that end. The school has a 26 percent English language learner population and as a bilingual administrator, the assistant principal takes pride in the responsibility of reaching out and communicating with the Latino families within the district.
“As a Spanish-speaking school leader, she plays a vital role in sustaining a positive school-home partnership, working in close coordination with parents who are English-speaking, Spanish-speaking and bilingual,” Middle School Principal Dennis Schug Jr. said. “Mrs. Fox models what relationships-matter leadership looks, sounds and feels like, for students, families and staff alike.”
Fox notes that each new parent she meets with will hear the same message: “I am here for you and your family. I will always be here to help you with whatever your child needs.”
“Students, especially, know that I will drop whatever I am working on if he or she needs to see me,” she said.
One of her welcome plans is the “It Starts With Hello” program developed at Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary School to combat bullying and school shootings.
“She used it to welcome students back after the summer to begin on a positive note and even arranged for some students to stand at the entrance smiling and waving, greeting their classmates. It was beautiful,” parent Debra Williams said. “When I told her how glad I was that the program was being introduced, she said, ‘We hope to work with our kids so that they always feel connected to the school and greater community. It’s so important that they know that each of them matters and are cared about.’”
A student council supported by the NASSP Raising Student Voice & Participation program was also created. Its goal is to design a group is focused on student voice, and doesn’t limit participation to a few students who may not represent all of the student body.
Fox has also placed a large focus on 21st century learning. This past school year, Hampton Bays School District was selected as a Lighthouse District by Stony Brook University for implementing a news literacy curriculum. Under Fox’s leadership, her school has also incorporated the Amazon Future Engineers Program to revamp its Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum.
“Mrs. Fox embodies the idea that leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders,” teacher Scott Garofola said. “She has been a constant supporter of those looking to try new ideas and initiatives, and in turn become leaders themselves.”
Fox received her bachelor’s degree in history from St. Joseph’s College and her master’s in public policy and advanced graduate certificate in school district and building leadership from Stony Brook University.
