East Meadow schools: Barnum Woods welcomes new principal

Amanda Sagnelli left the East Meadow School District as a student, and now she is back as Barnum Woods Elementary’s new principal.

“It really is truly a wonderful feeling, coming home again,” Sagnelli said. “I’m really honored to be able to give back to the community that provided me with the strong educational foundation needed to be where I am today.”

Sagnelli, an East Meadow native, was a student at Parkway Elementary, Woodland Middle School and East Meadow High School. She received a bachelor’s in elementary education from Hofstra University, a master’s in reading, and a professional diploma in educational administration. A mother of three, Sagnelli resides in Seaford.

Sagnelli’s career in education began in the Elmont School District, where she was a teacher for 12 years, and an administrator for 11 years. As a teacher, she worked with fifth and sixth graders at Clara Carlson School — after a few years of experience, she became the school’s assistant principal, and then moved over to Stuart Manor Elementary School as its principal.

As Sagnelli grew as an educator, she developed a “boots on the ground, children first” style of leadership, she said, maximizing the amount of support she can provide to teachers and students alike.

Sagnelli said she has two new initiatives she wants to see through this upcoming school year: a social and emotional learning meeting to help teachers better understand new students, as well as a new tradition honoring those who served on 9/11. Otherwise, she will not be making any immediate changes to school policy, and looks forward to listening and learning from parents, students and educators about the Barnum Woods’ community.

“I respect the history and rich traditions of Barnum Woods,” Sagnelli said. “My vision for my next few years will be to provide our students with a rigorous curriculum while ensuring that their social and emotional needs are met. That’s extremely important to me.”

Sagnelli is not the only educator from Elmont who came to the East Meadow School District. Superintendent of schools Kenneth Rosner made the shift as well and is now entering his second year in East Meadow.

“In 2006, this young lady was my assistant principal,” Rosner said at July’s board of education meeting. “I was principal, and I watched her grow and flourish into an incredible principal and incredible leader.”

“I worked under Mr. Rosner as his assistant principal, and as a principal as well when he was superintendent in Elmont,” Sagnelli said. “Mr. Rosner is the ultimate educator. He has served as my mentor for the past 17 years, and I have learned so much from him, and I’m happy to be a part of a district where I know that the superintendent always puts children first.”

Dave Spinnato, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction for East Meadow, is also a former Elmont educator Sagnelli has worked with.

“She is an absolutely phenomenal educator,” he said. “She is a bar none, a children first advocate. The biggest piece to her that makes her stand out is that kids are always front and center in every decision that she makes, and I think that that will be a great asset to the Barnum community.”

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work under Mr. Spinnato as my director of curriculum in Elmont as well,” Sagnelli said. “What a wealth of knowledge he has — I’m just eager to work alongside of the dynamic duo to just really put forth the belief that children come first and that the children of East Meadow deserve the absolute best.”

The East Meadow Board of Education expects a bright future ahead for Barnum Woods under Sagnelli, according to its president Jessica Ricco-Simeone.

Sagnelli’s role as principal for Barnum Woods comes after the prior principal, Gregory Bottari, retired in June. Bottari expressed his confidence that the school “is being left in capable hands.”

“I was able to spend two days with Mr. Bottari and have multiple conversations with him,” Sagnelli said. “And I’m so thankful for the strong foundation and the state of the building and the staff that he has left me with, and I look forward to carrying on the traditions and creating some new ones as well.”