{"id":387871,"date":"2026-10-30T13:58:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T13:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/387871\/"},"modified":"2026-10-30T13:58:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T13:58:11","slug":"this-new-york-school-district-is-led-by-five-binghamton-alumni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/387871\/","title":{"rendered":"This New York school district is led by five Binghamton alumni"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Jim Quigley \u201910 first arrived at Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook, New York, he was interviewing for a social studies teacher job. Having grown up not too far from the area, Quigley was drawn to the role because of Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District\u2019s \u201cincredible reputation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The district, located in Westchester County, serves more than 1,000 students ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade and boasts a mission of preparing them to be \u201cactive, lifelong learners.\u201d<\/p>\n

School was out for the summer, but part of the application process required Quigley to do a demo lesson, which is a way for administrators to evaluate a teacher\u2019s approach to pedagogy. While Quigley was teaching in a room full of adults, something caught his eye: a Binghamton University mug. The mug happened to belong to the high school\u2019s principal, fellow alumnus Mark Greenwald \u201984.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tried to make a connection there and then,\u201d Quigley says, \u201c\u2018Go Bearcats!\u2019 \u2014 that kind of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Blind<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tBlind Brook High School Image Credit: Photo Provided.<\/p>\n

\"Blind<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBlind Brook High School Image Credit: Photo Provided.<\/p>\n

\u00d7<\/p>\n

But little did he know that he had already made an impression.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I look at r\u00e9sum\u00e9s for positions, if I see Binghamton on it, it\u2019s a leg up \u2014 at least in terms of catching my attention,\u201d Greenwald says. \u201cIt\u2019s a quality education.\u201d<\/p>\n

It might be common for a school district to coincidentally employ several alumni from the same college, but how many also have some calling the shots?<\/p>\n

In Blind Brook\u2019s case, it\u2019s five.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That group includes Quigley, who now serves as an assistant principal at Blind Brook High School; Greenwald, who retired in summer 2026 as principal; Brian Alm \u201995, superintendent of schools; Seth Horowitz \u201996, assistant superintendent of curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and Tracy Taylor \u201994, principal of Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School, the district\u2019s elementary school.<\/p>\n

Pathways to teaching<\/p>\n

Despite never meeting until working together, a common thread exists in how the Blind Brook administrators ended up in education: their undergraduate experience.<\/p>\n

Some administrators, such as Taylor and Horowitz, sought out to be teachers and pursued that through courses and internships at Binghamton; others, like Quigley, Alm, and Greenwald, first had no intention to pursue education or had different ambitions altogether.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tFavorite Binghamton classes<\/p>\n

\u2022 Jim Quigley (history major): John C. Stoner\u2019s History of the 1960s course. (\u201cIt was probably the class I look back at the most.\u201d)
\u2022 Mark Greenwald (political science major): A class with politics professor Edward Weisband. (\u201cHe wore a microphone around his neck and would race around the lecture hall and jump into a crowd of students to engage them in the discussion.\u201d)
\u2022 Tracy Taylor (English major): A literature class based on New York City. (\u201c[The professor] selected books about \u2026 different groups in New York City. I just thought it was very well done.\u201d)
\u2022 Brian Alm (history major): A class with sociology professor Kelvin Santiago-Valles. (\u201cHe pushed my thinking probably more than any other professor.\u201d)
\u2022 Seth Horowitz (economics major): Richard Leighton\u2019s macroeconomics class \u2014 which Horowitz went on to become a teaching assistant for. (\u201cTalk about: \u2018You should be a teacher, Seth.\u2019\u201d)<\/p>\n

For Alm, it was the time and freedom to explore that made a difference. He originally got into Binghamton University\u2019s School of Management, but quickly transferred out, opting for more liberal arts classes that were \u201cperfect\u201d for him to \u201creally find [his] way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomewhere around my junior year, I realized that this is probably the only thing I could do that would bring me joy,\u201d he says. \u201cSo [teaching] went from the last thing [I would do] to the only thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greenwald had already started applying to law schools during his senior year at Binghamton when he found out a friend was going to take a student-teaching course at Vestal High School. He decided to take it, on what he described as half-joke and on a whim.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did it to be with my friend and have a good time,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd that changed the course of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quigley also had law school on his mind as an undergraduate, but still opted to take an education class with lecturer David Archer and an internship at Union-Endicott High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at those experiences at Binghamton, and I think they were more impactful than I thought in the moment,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Navigating work relationships, building community<\/p>\n

Even a shared alma mater doesn\u2019t shield the Blind Brook administrators from the day-to-day obstacles that arise in a school district with varying age groups and the decisions that need to be made \u2014 but it makes a difference.<\/p>\n

For Greenwald, trusting one another is key. He gives an example: If he\u2019s having a disagreement with someone like Horowitz, their shared educational experience does come into play.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the back of my mind, there\u2019s always, \u2018Wait, he went to Binghamton. He can\u2019t be all that wrong,\u2019\u201d he says jokingly. \u201cBut in all seriousness \u2014 we\u2019re of a similar background, so we\u2019ve got to be able to communicate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alm recalls that when he first started at Blind Brook, he was immediately impressed by the fact that he didn\u2019t have to \u201cdo anything to unify or create common language or common understandings or collaboration\u201d among the district\u2019s three principals.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Bruno<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tBruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School Image Credit: Photo Provided.<\/p>\n

\"Bruno<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tBruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School Image Credit: Photo Provided.<\/p>\n

\u00d7<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though we\u2019re small in size, it\u2019s easy to become siloed and disconnected,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

When Taylor thinks about creating community, it\u2019s about a sense of \u201cunderstanding that everybody supports one another in the great times, but [also] the times that are hard, that are challenging.\u201d The elementary school is connected to the district office, so access to her colleagues and establishing a rapport with them \u201cfeels like [they\u2019re] one big hug.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s very important, and I hope it trickles down and from top to bottom \u2014 that there\u2019s this big community feel,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Horowitz credits his time at Binghamton for being able to navigate hurdles. College was the first time he met people from a plethora of backgrounds and having that diversity in his life gave him the tools to \u201clook at things through different lenses and through the lens of empathy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWith the changes in technology, and with the changes in our country politically, it\u2019s more important than ever that we have to work closely with each other, because sometimes it feels like all we do is put out fires,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen we come together, we can reset and remember that we\u2019re here for a greater good.\u201d<\/p>\n

A new chapter ahead<\/p>\n

Along with the natural fresh start that comes with any new school year, big changes are underway at Blind Brook-Rye Union Free School District this fall.<\/p>\n

Horowitz will build on his previous role working within the district\u2019s middle school, expanding to the whole K-12 system. There\u2019s also a new crop of teachers entering the district, and Taylor says she believes \u201cthe next era is coming.\u201d She\u2019s excited for the future.<\/p>\n

In some aspects of his job, Quigley will be a \u201cveteran administrator\u201d at the high school, and much like he did in his teaching career, he believes this year is another chance to grow.<\/p>\n

Alm shares a similar sentiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s always room to be better,\u201d he says. \u201cI think this is the right team to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the retired Greenwald, he looks forward to returning to visit the district to lend outside support. He advises his colleagues to \u201ccontinue to take your days one at a time and not get too far ahead of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Greenwald, it\u2019s the people who have always mattered.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a unique relationship with all of these people, even though I don\u2019t know them all intimately. But we\u2019re all Binghamtonians,\u201d he says. \u201cFor me, the relationships are what will endure going forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Jim Quigley \u201910 first arrived at Blind Brook High School in Rye Brook, New York, he was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":387872,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9,24,55,54,56],"class_list":["post-387871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=387871"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/387871\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/387872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=387871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=387871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=387871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}