‘Born a Teacher’ Kathleen Fox’s Path to Superintendent of Avalon Stone Harbor Schools
Kathleen Fox is honored by the staff and students at the school she left in Brigantine.
In the coming days, the Avalon and Stone Harbor communities will welcome their new superintendent of schools, Kathleen Fox. The new head of Avalon Stone Harbor Schools arrives after more than 12 years with Brigantine Public Schools, first as curriculum coordinator, then as principal. She succeeds Stacey Tracy, who retired.
Fox is no stranger to the small beach-town lifestyle as she grew up in Brigantine, just a short drive up the Garden State Parkway. As a child, Fox was an active student and found herself participating in many clubs, volunteering, working with children, and coaching rowing, a sport she truly loves. It’s clear that through her early-life activities, Fox had a passion for mentoring, instructing, and guiding others. “I was born a teacher,” she says.
This passion temporarily shifted after high school. Fox attended the University of Pennsylvania, where she was on the rowing team, studied English, and had the intention of eventually attending law school. But as she worked toward her bachelor’s degree, Fox became increasingly unsure about pursuing law school. She had many experiences at Penn that left an impact on her, and some in particular gave her the realization that she needed to work in the school system.
“I had the privilege of being in one of the first classes where the university wove itself into the Philadelphia public school system,” Fox said. “Our class was conducted entirely in one of the city’s middle schools, where we worked directly with individual students to discuss the social, economic, and life challenges they faced and how a university like Penn could change the landscape of urban education by building partnerships with the city school system. It was in this class that I think I got my first inclination that I needed to work in a school.”
One transformative experience after her graduation from Penn made it clear to Fox that a career in education was meant for her.
“I spent a year working as a personal aide for a student with cerebral palsy at St. Katherine Day School in Philadelphia,” Fox says, referring to a special education school. “This child, and the staff and students in his school, solidified my decision that I belonged in education and that my career would always involve schools. I learned so much that year about how we can use our gifts to help others, and how others’ gifts can help us grow. I am eternally grateful for that experience.”
After her time at Penn, Fox earned a master’s degree in instructional technology from Stockton. The courses that Fox took focused on visual communications and how to design instruction for children and adults using technology. At this time, many schools were still built around the “one-computer classroom” model, which is much different from the integration of technology into classrooms that we are used to today. However, Fox understands the ever-changing nature of technology, and while the software that she learned at Stockton became antiquated after a few years, the skills she learned will always stay with her.
“The skills [I] learned focused more on how to build focused, coherent instruction, using the appropriate tools,” Fox says.
This type of instruction will continue to be useful to Fox regardless of technological advances. Her master’s program gave her the confidence to try new things and adapt instruction to her students’ futures.
After receiving her master’s degree, Fox entered the profession of education through New Jersey’s Alternate Route program, which allows people who have not completed an educator preparation program at a college or university to receive the necessary training to become a teacher in New Jersey. During Fox’s first year as a teacher in Atlantic City, she took classes to earn her teacher certification. Fox learned so much from the program and was able to connect and learn from more experienced teachers.
Fox later moved back to Brigantine and became a long-term substitute teacher for various subjects. Then, she obtained her first administrative position as a nonsupervisory coordinator of curriculum and instruction on her way to becoming the curriculum coordinator and finally the principal.
“I have been the principal for seven years and have loved every minute of it!” she says.
Since Fox has been a part of the New Jersey school systems for several years now, she has had many experiences and accomplishments. Fox also has had to manage school during the coronavirus pandemic.
“By far, I have to say that being open full time, five full days a week, this year is the thing I am most proud of in my career,” Fox says. “The students needed us so much this year, whether they were in person or remote, and we were there for them. This took a tremendous amount of hard work, planning, revising the plan, and a little bit of faith. Most importantly, it took a commitment on the part of everyone in my community from the staff to the families to the bus service to the city for making it work.”
This commitment to community is something that Fox noticed within the Avalon Stone Harbor Schools, where students in kindergarten through fourth grade attend the school in Stone Harbor and grades 5-8 (plus PreK) go to the Avalon school. Fox saw the same commitment to the students and willingness to work hard for the betterment of the community during such a difficult year that she had experienced in Brigantine.
“The fact that [Avalon and Stone Harbor] schools were open all year when so many were not, demonstrates a commitment that many places do not have,” Fox says. “When I toured the school and met many of the staff members, all took great pride in describing what they do and how they serve the children of Avalon and Stone Harbor.”
As Fox prepares to begin her position as superintendent, she reflects on the history of success at Avalon and Stone Harbor schools and considers the plans she hopes to accomplish. She understands the importance of community in small school districts.
“My top priority is getting to know every student, to let them know that they are seen and valued, and to give them educational choices and opportunities to develop their interests,” she says.
Similarly, Fox is interested in making community service a top priority within the school district. Also, she plans to develop the sport of rowing in Cape May County, a sport that has been a part of Fox’s life since childhood.
A strong sense of family and community is something that Fox values and hopes to keep alive while beginning her new position as superintendent.
“I hope to keep our Avalon and Stone Harbor families involved in their children’s education,” she says. “Communication is the key to family involvement, so I hope to communicate with the parents and students regularly and make sure they have a voice in decisions that are being made.”
Fox also hopes to build a strong alumni network in order to create connection between current students and those who have since graduated from the Avalon and Stone Harbor schools. Because the school district is so small, the current students could greatly benefit from connecting with those who have since graduated.
With her tenure beginning soon, Fox and her family are excited to get to know the members of the Seven Mile Beach community.
“I love to bring people together,” she says. “And know that I can continue to build a community where the learners come from different ZIP codes but have the same goal: to build good citizens that are capable of supporting our country for generations to come.”