Herricks Middle School principal will move up to the high school this summer

Rebecca Klar
Joan Keegan, Herricks Middle School principal, will begin her new position as the high school principal on July 1. (Photo courtesy of Herricks Public Schools)

When Joan Keegan walks through the halls of Herricks High School this year, it won’t be a fresh start but rather a homecoming.

Though Keegan’s career with Herricks began in 1987 as a health and physical education teacher, her relationship with the district dates back to her childhood – when she competed on the Herricks track as part of her Catholic Youth Organization’s track and field team.  

“I remember walking up the hill and thinking this place is great,” Keegan said. “Never knowing one day I would actually be hired to teach here.”

Keegan, currently the principal of Herricks Middle School, will assume her new position as Herricks High School principal on July 1. She succeeds James Ruck, who has been serving as the interim principal since August 2016.

Keegan is no stranger to the high school, though.

Before starting as the middle school principal in 2010, Keegan was an assistant principal at the high school for eight years. Before that, Keegan served as the district’s director of physical education, athletics and health.

Keegan’s career spans almost the entire district. When she first began as a health and physical education teacher her time was split between the high school and Center Street School, she said.

Keegan added that to date she has been an educator in every building in the district except Denton Avenue School.

“I just feel incredibly privileged to have had this career in the Herricks school system,” Keegan said. “It really feels like an extension of my family. The community has always been supportive, and I’m very excited to continue the district’s goals.”

Superintendent Fino Celano said Keegan has wonderful relationships with members of the Herricks community, including parents, teachers and students, which is one reason he said Keegan will bring the high school to the next level.

He added that Keegan is innovative and is “invested in the concept of continuous improvement.”

Under Keegan’s leadership at the middle school, the library was redesigned, the STEAM lab was developed, the fitness center was created and technology tools such as Chromebooks and iPads were introduced into the classroom, according to a news release.

In addition to Keegan’s focus on bringing more technology to the school, she also brought in more social and emotional learning programs, Celano said.

Keegan spearheaded Project REACH, which has become a cornerstone of the school’s effort to teach compassion through charity and service, according to the release.

“I’m really very confident that she will bring the same passion and enthusiasm and energy to this new job as she’s had in the past,” Celano said. 

Keegan received the Nassau County School Librarians Association Administrator of the Year award in 2013, the PTA Jenkins Lifetime Award in 2011 and honorary membership in the Music Honor Society in 2008. She was also selected by the senior class to deliver the commencement address in 2000.

Keegan obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from Hofstra University, her Master of Science degree from Lehman College and her professional diploma from LIU Post.

A new middle school principal has not yet been chosen, but Celano said the district is starting a comprehensive interview process and he is sure the district will find a “very good person” for the position.

He said he hopes the interview process concludes with an appointment of a middle school principal by the Board of Education in April.

The middle school principal will also begin on July 1.

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