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Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. Erin Banty is the new Dean of Students at Thurston Middle School.
10-08-2023 12:35am
Meet Erin Banty, WPS Thurston Middle School's New Dean of Students
Darlene Cancell
Editor
By Darcie Fisher, for Westwood Public Schools
The workdays fly by for Thurston Middle School’s new Dean of Students Erin Banty.
“Every school day starts the same for me,” said Banty. “I am outside greeting our students and walking the halls. I think it’s really important that every one of them gets a greeting each morning. It sounds simple but starting off with a ‘good morning’ really does shift the vibe in the building.”
The middle school years can be challenging for many students as they adapt to tougher academics as well as shifts in social groups.
“One of my goals is to create a safe, happy, and fun learning environment for our students,” said Banty. “We want kids to come to school and be happy to learn. We are working very hard to have consistent values and expectations for them. Kids thrive when they have solid guidelines and structure.”
Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. Erin Banty (third from left) gathers with a group of Westwood Public Schools students.A native of Milton, Massachusetts, Banty attended Milton Public Schools through eighth grade before enrolling at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham for high school. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Development from Syracuse University, she went on to earn a master’s degree in Education from Lesley College and is currently completing a master’s degree in Education Leadership through the Education Leadership Institute.
“I started out in general education and that year I kept gravitating towards special education students,” said Banty. “As the years went by, I found myself running special education classrooms and working very closely with administrators.”
While working at Boston’s McKinley School – a public school which serves special education students – Banty found herself writing grants and helping to shape curriculum as well as instituting professional development programs for teachers.
Banty came to Westwood in 2019 as the lead teacher for the STAR (Strategic, Therapeutic, Academic, Response) program.
“There was so much leadership involved in that position,” said Banty. “I found myself managing schedules, managing instructional assistants, and being the parent liaison. It was that position that solidified my desire to begin a leadership program.”
In addition to working with students and being the lead disciplinarian at Thurston, Banty took over the school’s Instagram account and has been concentrating on creating content which shows families what she calls the “great things” happening at the school.
“I’m using Instagram to show pictures of student learning, to publicize events, and to change the stigma often associated with middle school,” and Banty is creating a social-emotional newsletter which will focus on resources and support available in Westwood, in addition to working closely with the PTO and an advisory committee comprised of parents of special education students.
“We are working as a team here in order to make Thurston a safe place for kids and staff and we are focusing on relationship building,” said Banty. “I really enjoy coming into work in this position and am loving getting to know our students.”
Banty and her husband have two daughters, aged eight and five, and a Labradoodle named Cooper. She spends as much spare time as possible on the slopes and says Mount Sunapee is her favorite place to ski. She also enjoys tennis, traveling, and reading.
Thanks to Darcie Fisher and the Westwood Public Schools for contributing this news to Westwood Minute.
