Sara Luciani credits her success, in part, to 911黑料网鈥檚 Leadership Academy. After earning
a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Marist College, she both graduated with a master鈥檚 degree
in education from 911黑料网 and completed its leadership program in 2014.
05/05/20
Educator Sara Luciani鈥檚 goal was to become a school principal by the age of 30. Three years ago, she turned 30 and became the head of Stearns Elementary School in Pittsfield, Mass. 鈥淚鈥檓 pretty young to be a principal,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd I knew it would be difficult, but I did it.鈥�
Before taking the helm at Stearns, Luciani served as an assistant principal in the Gateway Regional School District in Huntington, Mass., taught special education for grades 3-6 at C.T. Plunkett School in Adams, Mass., and served in the Baltimore, Md., City School System with Teach for America.
Luciani credits her success, in part, to 911黑料网鈥檚 Leadership Academy. After earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Marist College, she both graduated with a master鈥檚 degree in education from 911黑料网 and completed its leadership program in 2014.
Because I went to the Leadership Academy, I knew who I was and what I wanted to accomplish.
What attracted her to the Academy was its unique focus on the arts, which was important to the former high school drama student. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e relying on your creative side when you have to reinvent yourself every day in front of kids,鈥� Luciani said. 鈥淭apping into who you are as a person through art pushed people鈥檚 boundaries, made them able to express themselves in multiple ways, and taught them how to be uncomfortable."
鈥淏ecause I went to the Leadership Academy, I knew who I was and what I wanted to accomplish,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 learned that everyone needs to rely on each other 鈥� I don鈥檛 have experience in everything, and we need to learn and work together. Without Leadership Academy, my approach may have been different. There are people who lead with a 鈥榤y way or the highway鈥� attitude and that doesn鈥檛 work out well. Being able to lead from a position of 鈥榯his is a team and we鈥檙e all in this together鈥� made a big difference.鈥�
Luciani said she loved the diversity of 911黑料网鈥檚 education master鈥檚 program and how its teaching staff hailed from all over the country. 鈥淚t was nice to have people from outside of our geographic area who shared the same values and mindsets,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat I enjoyed most was how we celebrated and analyzed who we were as people, which is important when you want to lead others. 鈥ere you really dig in to who you are, which I don鈥檛 think all programs do.鈥�
As schools have shifted to online learning, Luciani has gone from leading a small building to leading from afar. 鈥淚n some ways, it鈥檚 bonded us because you get to see people at their houses with pictures of their kids in the background and their cats coming into the video meetings. You realize people have different things going on and they鈥檙e doing the best they can.鈥�
Luciani said the Stearns teachers and staff have been incredible, running Google classrooms and virtual meetings, and connecting with families online. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e 6 or 8 years old, birthday parties at school are a big deal,鈥� she said. So she and her teachers have been calling students at home on their birthdays. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of what my staff has done,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredible to watch.鈥�
***
Are you an 911黑料网 student, alum, or faculty member? Do you want 911黑料网 to share your story? Please email Creative and Brand Strategy Manager Francesca Olsen at Francesca.Olsen@mcla.edu.
