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Photo courtesy of Westwood Public Schools. Samantha Bean is the new Assistant Principal at Westwood's Pine Hill Elementary School.
10-03-2024 12:19am
Pine Hill Asst. Principal Bean is Passionate about Learning that Works for Everybody
Darlene Cancell
Editor
Thanks to Westwood Public Schools for contributing this article to Westwood Minute.
Samantha Bean will be the first to tell you she’s younger than most school administrators. It’s something the new Assistant Principal at Westwood’s Pine Hill Elementary School is happy to make note of.
“It’s not common to see a school administrator who is in her 30s,” said Bean. “It’s something I’m really proud of. Some might question it, but I think it’s important to share. Having someone energetic and willing to soak up knowledge is important.”
Bean grew up on Long Island and was raised by her grandparents. Her grandmother taught fifth grade for over 30 years, a fact that Bean says “definitely inspired” her to become an educator. Before earning her undergraduate degree at Lesley University in Cambridge, Bean worked at a day camp for students with special needs. While teaching special education in the Chelsea Public Schools, Bean earned her master’s degree at Northeastern University. Later, she received a certificate of advanced studies from Salem State University, qualifying her to work as an administrator.
“Something that I am really passionate about is making sure that learning works for everybody,” said Bean. “When I was a teen, I really enjoyed working with special needs students and felt connected to them. As I developed as a professional and learned more about education and instruction, one of the most powerful pieces was learning how to adapt what we are doing to work for kids with special needs.”
Bean says learning the nuances of special education made her fall more in love with that area and ultimately led her to pursue work as an administrator. “It’s never boring work,” said Bean. “There’s always something going on and it’s very engaging. Even though I’ve been doing this work for 10 years now, it still feels new.”
“Mrs. Bean has been a welcome addition to the Pine Hill community,” said Superintendent Timothy Piwowar. “She brings passion, knowledge, and a desire to grow. We were pleased when she decided to join our team and look forward to watching the difference she makes for our students.”
Bean points to the support she sees among Westwood families as one reason she is already enjoying working in this community. Another is working at the district’s newest school with new Pine Hill principal Reid Jones.
“We are both young administrators and have a lot of energy. We align on how we communicate both morally and philosophically with kids, families and staff, which is lovely,” said Bean.
When students returned to Pine Hill this fall, they were fully integrated for the first time. Last February, when students moved over from the Deerfield and Hanlon Schools, they stayed in their same classrooms. Now that they are integrating, Bean and Jones are planning to gather feedback from staff, students and families. They will use this feedback to establish a set of core values for Pine Hill.
“We plan to align our policies with these core values,” said Bean. “The plan is to share them in physical spaces such as on bulletin boards and in the cafeteria. We know we have been successful when these values live and breathe throughout our school.”
Bean enjoys spending time with her husband and her dog as well as cooking and teaching yoga.
“In my interviews I said, ‘one of the main things that I want is to land somewhere where I would stay.’ I feel like I found my home here in Westwood, and it feels good,” she said.
