District’s new superintendent starts July 1
Effective Saturday, July 1, Dr. Michael Hynes will be the new Shelter Island School superintendant, replacing Interim Superintendent Robert Parry. His focus, he said, is to “create opportunities for all students to develop skill sets to compete successfully in our global economy, while ensuring our school district is fiscally prudent and responsible.”
Dr. Hynes, 40, a resident of Center Moriches with his wife and children, said that he was grateful for the unique opportunity to work in a district with kindergarten through 12th grade students in one building. He hoped for a chance to individualize learning experiences through curriculum development while viewing progress and results first hand on a daily basis, he said.
The hiring of Dr. Hynes in May ended a process that began almost exactly one year before, when then-Superintendent Sharon Clifford announced her resignation, effective at the end of the school year. About a month later, on June 14, the board hired Mr. Parry on an interim basis until the board could find a replacement. The board hired a search consultant, School Leadership LLC, in October to help find a replacement, and after a public forum in November, discussions with students, staff, parents and an online questionnaire, the search attracted 89 applicants. The board eventually decided on Dr. Hynes.
Dr. Hynes says that any adult can call him “Mike.” Raised in Sayville, he received his bachelor’s degree from Bethany College in West Virginia. He received his master’s in elementary education and doctorate in educational administration from Dowling College. Dr. Hynes said he incorporates his background in clinical psychology, his understanding of the cognitive part of the brain, and data assessment into his curriculum development.
“I love seeing students’ capacity to learn,” he said, adding he hopes to create life-long learners.
He added that he looked forward to helping Shelter Island students gain the academic skills they’ll need when they go on to higher education. His plan is to “put enough tools in their tool belts” so that they have the skill sets to make them successful after their years here.
Dr. Hynes worked most recently as assistant superintendent at the Plainedge School District in North Massapequa. He also was a part-time professor at Dowling College. He’s stepped down from that post because his new job is a “12 month, 24/7 position,” he said.
Dr. Hynes will commute from his home in Center Moriches, where he lives with his wife, Erin, who is a curriculum specialist for the Comsewogue School District in Port Jefferson Station. The couple has three children: Lily, 9, Teddy, 6, and Olivia, 6. Dr. Hynes said his son Teddy is named after President Theodore Roosevelt, whose resilience Dr. Hynes admired. “Life is a journey,” he said, and he hopes to instill in the students the idea that “If you fall, you get back up.”
“I have no pre-conceived notions or agenda,” he said. He met with every senior student before their graduation, and asked for their advice, which was overwhelmingly, “Make sure you get to know the kids,” he said. Dr. Hynes said he plans to provide support and meaningful experiences for all of them. “I know I am meant for this,” he said.
In addition to working at the school this summer, Dr. Hynes will bring his family for visits to the Island to learn more about it, and for the community to get to know them. When he is not working, he likes to spend time with his kids, he said, and he also enjoys tennis, golf, kayaking, running, astronomy and reading.
