Southdown School Principal Michelle Marino Reflects
It’s hard for Southdown School Principal Michelle Marino to believe it’s nearing 30 years since she came to the Huntington School District to work as a kindergarten teacher. That was 1982 and all these years later she’s still going strong.
Widely known around the district as Shelly, Mrs. Marino graduated from C.W. Post College in 1978 with dual majors in art and elementary education. Her teaching career kicked off in 1980 when she worked as a leave replacement art teacher at Oldfield Junior High School. Two year later, she came to Huntington and was assigned to Washington Elementary School.
“Although I have been an educator for over 25 years, 99 percent of it here in Huntington, I can honestly say that I feel as though I have never worked a day in my life,” Mrs. Marino cheerfully said. “Looking back, each new day and challenge has been a wonderful gift and I look forward to many, many more!”
The job in Huntington came about when an unexpectedly large number of kindergarten students turned out at Washington School, forcing the district to split sections and create a new class. “I remember that parents were very leery of having their children with the ‘new teacher,’ but after a few days their fears changed to cheers and I remained in kindergarten at Washington until the Early Childhood Center at Woodhull opened in 1990,” Mrs. Marino said.
When the district decided to send all Huntington kindergarten students to Woodhull School, Mrs. Marino went with them. In 1994 she took over as interim principal when the existing principal, Dr. Carmela Leonardi moved over to Huntington Elementary School.
“It was a wonderful experience but one that I had to leave after one year having two young children at home,” Mrs. Marino said about her tenure leading the Early Childhood Center. “While I was there as the principal, I had the responsibility of preparing the staff and building for a full-time kindergarten program in Sept. 1995. In preparation, I met with sales representatives to design and order classroom furniture and supply needs, led parent meetings, open houses, realtor meetings and made several presentations at school board meetings. It was an exciting time!”
After returning to the classroom, Mrs. Marino spent many more happy years in her kindergarten classroom until another district reorganization sent her to Southdown School as a second grade teacher in 2000. “Although I loved kindergarten for many years, there came a day when I just couldn’t tie one more shoelace,” she said. “I knew that it was time for a new challenge and second grade met that need!”
Still searching for a new challenge, Mrs. Marino decided to move back into the administrative ranks, becoming Southdown’s principal in 2003. “I feel so fortunate to work with such an amazingly talented faculty,” she said. “They continually astound me with their dedication, creativity and commitment to children. And when it comes to community, there are none more supportive and enthusiastic as our Southdown families. They are committed partners in the education of their children.”
The daughter of Elaine Panik Gates, a longtime Huntington music teacher and department director, Mrs. Marino said that “it’s not infrequent that parents of my students enjoy recalling the wonderful choral experience that they had with my mother as conductor while here at Southdown.”
Mrs. Marino earned her master’s degree in elementary education and state certification as an administrator at Dowling College. She is the founder and past director of the Discovery early childhood program for youngsters between the ages of 6-8 at the USDAN Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, working there from 1995 to 2003. She earlier taught folkdance at the USDAN Center from 1974 to 1986, until her daughter Amanda was born. Today Amanda is an art teacher in the Kings Park school district and another daughter, Megan is a junior at Hunter College in Manhattan where she is majoring in early childhood education. “I’m a proud mom,” Mrs. Marino said.
The sixth edition of Southdown’s art and literary magazine was published this spring. Mr. Marino called the thick book put out by the school’s shared decision making committee, a “labor of love” and said it included “not only published pieces from every child in the school, but also full color pages of Southdown artwork from this year’s district art show.”
Yes, the Brown’s Road school is a special place for the principal. “We have a strong commitment to the education of the whole child; academically, socially and emotionally,” she said about Southdown School and its faculty and support staff. “Knowing that strong social and emotional skills are learned, we intentionally instruct our children with specific words and actions that we teach, practice, and celebrate at our monthly ‘Splash’ assemblies. Everything from appropriate greetings to bus behavior is targeted with deliberate instruction; what does it look like, what does it sound like, where are your eyes, and as a result, the educational school environment is a model of respect and positive action.”
Over the years, the Southdown principal has participated on many district committees, including shared decision making, technology, community outreach and professional development, to name a few. This year, Southdown’s faculty worked closely with New York University to develop a data team comprised of representatives from all specialty areas including general education, special education, speech, ESL, speech, psychology and administration in an effort to better understand, analyze and use student data and ultimately improve teaching and learning at the school.
“You can feel that Southdown is a welcoming, child-friendly place from the moment you walk through the doors,” Mrs. Marino proudly said. “And once you’re here, enjoy viewing the floor-to-ceiling under-the-sea murals created by parents and staff, which adorn the walls in the third grade wing. From the artic to the coral reef; it’s a continually evolving project that sets a wonderful tone of creativity, beauty and calm for the children.”
All graphics, photographs, and text appearing on the Huntington Public Schools home page and subsequent official web pages are protected by copyright. Redistribution or commercial use is prohibited without express written permission. Comments or Questions? email the Public Information Office