With Mr. John Manganiello’s decision to return to full-time teaching in the fall, Windward had the opportunity to interview for a new assistant division head of the Westchester Middle School. Compelling candidates made for a challenging search process, and we are delighted to announce that we have concluded the search to fill this position. After leaving Windward in order to move to Florida at the end of the 2017-2018 school year, Ms. Amy Hughes recently returned to New York, and we are fortunate that she rejoined the Westchester Middle School as the assistant division head on July 8.

Ms. Hughes received her BS in speech communication from SUNY Oneonta and her MS in education, counseling, and development from Long Island University. After working as a coordinator for disability support services at George Mason University and then as a learning specialist and counselor at St. Thomas Aquinas College, Ms. Hughes became certified as a NYS school counselor and joined the Westchester Middle School as a guidance counselor in 2004. Holding this role until 2018, Ms. Hughes supported hundreds of Windward students as a key member of the guidance office.                  

As part of her application, Ms. Hughes wrote that her understanding of language-based learning disabilities as well as her extensive training in communicating and mediating would serve her well in the assistant division head role. In her leadership, Ms. Hughes draws upon her experience as a parent of a child who has worked to overcome disabilities, noting that when working with students who are struggling, “they must know how much you care so that they are willing to take responsibility, become self-advocates, and make appropriate changes in behavior.” She comes into the assistant division head role with a deep knowledge of the Windward program and 14 years of teaching and guiding Windward students. Windward is confident that students, families, faculty, and staff will benefit from her return to the community.