Mrs. Tracy Put the ‘Super’ in Superintendent
Stacey Tracy presents former eighth-grader Angelina Maffei with an award at an end of the year ceremony.
After 16 years of being at the helm of the Avalon and Stone Harbor schools, Mrs. Stacey Tracy is ready to sail into the sunset. She is retiring on June 30, and while she’s looking forward to both domestic and foreign travels (if COVID allows), she leaves with fond memories of Seven Mile Island schools.
Mrs. Tracy was born in Atlantic City and resides in Ventnor. Some may say she has sand in her shoes. She attended New York University and Rowan University, where she studied Elementary Education, Early Education, and Educational Administration. Her nod to New York can be found on the Yankees logo she uses for her profile and the New York Giants sweater she wears after the Giants win a game (especially against the Eagles).
Before serving as a superintendent at the Avalon School District from
2005-13, Mrs. Tracy was a teacher in Ventnor, Pleasantville and New York, and a supervisor of curriculum in Ventnor and Avalon. She became the superintendent of Avalon Stone Harbor Schools when the districts merged.
Asked why she likes being a superintendent here, Mrs. Tracy answers, “I love it. I love the students. I love the teachers. I love the families. I love everything about it. Being such a small school, you get to know each other intimately. You get to know each other’s families and watch kids grow into adults. I will miss the daily interactions I have with the students and staff. I also like to talk to teachers and other administrators to see how we can make our curriculum better and our school better.”
This last year has been especially challenging because of the coronavirus. Mrs. Tracy explained that remote teaching was new and challenging for everyone. She is proud of the way the Avalon and Stone Harbor schools were able to open full-time early in the school year. “Parents, students, and teachers, all wanted to be back in school,” she says. “I think it has worked out well for everyone.”
Mrs. Tracy’s favorite things about the school are the bright, cheerful buildings, the holiday shows, and of course, the students and teachers. She says the buildings were improved after Hurricane Sandy and she loves how fresh and bright they are, and it’s great for the kids, too. You may have noticed if you’ve ever attended a holiday or talent show, Mrs. Tracy is there cheering on the students.
She is especially proud of how wonderfully the shows are put together and says the shows are her favorite memories of school.
Mrs. Tracy’s favorite teacher in school was her fifth-grade teacher, Sister Denise. She says she was young, sweet, and very helpful. She was one of her influences in choosing her career. When asked about her teaching philosophy, Mrs. Tracy doesn’t hesitate: “Knowledge is power. The more knowledge you gain, the better you are going to be.” This seems to have worked for Mrs. Tracy, given that she rose from elementary school teacher to superintendent of two schools.
Outside of school, Mrs. Tracy loves the beach, loves walking on the boardwalk, loves to read, loves to cook, and loves to travel. Hopefully, she will get to enjoy all her favorite things as she “sails on” from Avalon and Stone Harbor Schools.
We wish her well and thank her for everything she has done for us and our school.
She did mention to me that if she weren’t a superintendent, she would want to be a lawyer. NYU has a great law school, just saying.
Thanks for the tips
Pam Funk, the fifth- and sixth-grade English Language Arts teacher, notes that Stacey was her mentor when she was earning her principal’s certificate. “She taught me: the persuasive power of free chocolate at faculty meetings; the benefit of asking for an agenda when invited to a meeting; the forgiving genius of sticky notes when creating a master schedule; the efficacy of including secondary items in a budget so you can ‘sacrifice’ them to get what you really need; that everyone who enters your office wants something. Success lies in identifying what it is and meeting that need.”
A wish for Mrs. Tracy
Dr. Renee Murtaugh, Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction, offers this wish to Mrs. Tracy: “May this new chapter of your life be full of wonderful surprises, where every day feels like Saturday!”
What is your favorite memory of Mrs. Tracy?
“When we were at the reindeer games, she was cheering on all the teams.” – Amelia Worthington, grade 7
“I remember when I was first taking a tour of the school in 5th Grade
when I walked in I saw Mrs. Tracy who was standing at the door with a big smile waiting to greet all the other 5th graders. She showed us around the entire building and introduced us to the teachers. This entire time she was happy to answer any questions we had or anything we wanted to know and she was always so kind to us and everyone else. Mrs. Tracy was always kind to us and that is one of the most prevalent memories of Mrs. Tracy I have. – Zachary Bellwoar, grade 7
“When we were little in Stone Harbor I remember she had a red clown nose in her desk drawer and she would put it on and it made us all laugh.” – Fiona Gale, grade 8
“She gave me a great experience throughout the school years and I love having her around.” – Sophia Nemeth, grade 8
“If I had to pick a favorite memory, I’d have to go with the instinct to see what we’re up to. Every day at lunch, she’ll walk around our table because she knows we are messing around. Another would be when she was singing ‘Rocket Man’ down the hallway getting another teacher to join in.” – Anthony Dierkes, grade 8