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Seaford Leadership Team Welcomes Pair Of Seasoned Educators

Pictured: The Seaford School District welcomes two new central office administrators on July 1. Amanda Barney, left, will serve as the assistant superintendent for curriculum and assessment and Debbie Langone will be the executive director for instructional technology and STEAM.

Photo courtesy of the Seaford School District

The Seaford School District announces the appointments of two administrators to its central office team, effective July 1. Amanda Barney has been named the assistant superintendent for curriculum and assessment and Debbie Langone will serve as the executive director for instructional technology and STEAM.

Ms. Barney joins Seaford from the Syosset School District, where she was the K-12 coordinator of English for the past six years. Prior to that, she was an English teacher, department coordinator and staff developer in the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District from 1999 to 2017.

One of the highlights of her career was serving as a Washington Teaching Ambassador Fellow for the United States Education Department for a year beginning in July 2016. She was one of only two teachers from across the nation selected for the fellowship and she served under the Secretary of Education for two different administrations. Ms. Barney’s responsibilities included planning leadership summits, creating and delivering presentations, writing speeches, networking with teachers across the county and facilitating meetings between the Secretary of Education and state and local educational agencies, professional organizations, administrators, teachers and students.

With a broad perspective on how public education is delivered across the county, Ms. Barney feels humbled and gracious to join Seaford’s leadership team. She has already seen the strong connections between the school and community by attending several end-of-year events including graduation and the Patriot Awards dinner.

“I see how special Seaford is. It’s a shining star,” she said. “I’ve seen public education systems around the country and Seaford is amazing. I can bring what I’ve learned to the table and build on the programs we have.”

One program that stands out for her is LIFT. The reimagined elementary library program focuses on four key areas – library and research, innovation, fit minds and bodies, and technology and STEAM challenges. Ms. Barney noted that the program was developed in Seaford, which demonstrates the innovation and imagination of the district’s educators.

Ms. Langone comes to Seaford from West Islip, where she was the director of science and engineering technology for the past four years. She taught science for 25 years, with experience at the high school level in the East Meadow School District and the middle school level in Oceanside and Sewanhaka. During her time in the classroom, she received the Harvard Club of Long Island Distinguished Teacher Award and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Educator of Distinction Award.

Through her extensive research experience, she has explored the areas of biodiversity, geology, neurophysiology and molecular genetics. She has also taught biology and science education at the collegiate level, including at Adelphi University and Nassau Community College.

Ms. Langone is member of various professional organizations including ResearchGate-Professional Network for Scientists and Researchers, National Science Education Leadership Association, Association of Suffolk Supervisors for Educational Technologies, American Educational Research Association and the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Her responsibilities in Seaford include leading the district in instructional technology and supervising all areas under the umbrella of STEAM – science, technology, engineering, art and math.

“Seaford Schools are well-rounded with strong academic programs and many extracurricular offerings, and infuse social emotional learning within the students’ academic experiences,” Ms. Langone said. “I look forward to working with the entire Seaford community as we strive to teach toward the future and prepare our students for their experiences beyond our schools.”

Ms. Langone holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in biology, both from Queens College, and is currently a doctoral candidate at Molloy University. Ms. Barney has a bachelor’s degree in English from Bates College in Maine, a master’s degree in secondary English education from Dowling College and school district and building leadership certificates from Stony Brook University. She is pursuing her doctorate in transformational leadership from Long Island University.

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