Western MS Assistant Principal Is Appointed

A district special education instructional coach for Greenwich Public Schools has been appointed assistant principal at Western Middle School.

Superintendent of Schools William S. McKersie announced the appointment of Suzanne Coyne as a Western Middle School Assistant Principal, effective July 1. 

Coyne has been an educator with the Greenwich Public Schools since 1997. She has served as a District Special Education Instructional Coach for seven years. In her 17 years with the district, Coyne has demonstrated an expertise in instructional and behavioral intervention strategies in both the special and general education areas, school officials said in a statement. "She is an outstanding coach, collaborating with her teacher colleagues to meet the needs of the students in their charge. She has worked with staff in almost every school in the District, including Western Middle School."

Western Middle School Principal Gordon Beinstein said, “We are very excited to welcome Suzanne Coyne to Western. She stood out among a very strong candidate pool. What most impressed me about Suzanne, was how well her skill set matches our needs and compliments the work that the staff has been engaged in this year." 

Beinstein also said in the statement, "Specifically, her expertise in special education, her experience in coaching staff, and her work assisting the teachers with the creation of interventions, which allow all students to meet with success. While we are sad to see Al Sackey move on, I have all the confidence that Suzanne can continue his fine work and allow us to move Western Middle School forward in the coming years.”

Coyne began her career as an educator in 1997 with the Greenwich Public Schools as a Special Education Teacher at Arch School, the District’s Alternative High School. In this role, she taught American History, Math and Literature courses and also developed and implemented students’ Individual Educational Programs (IEP.) During her three years at Arch School, she also worked at the Boys and Girls Club of Greenwich as the Learning Center Educational Director, serving K-12 students after school with homework assistance, service programs, and skill-based learning activities.

In 2001, Coyne moved to Central Middle School (CMS) as a Special Education Teacher. For the next six years, she developed, implemented and monitored student IEPs, co-taught social studies and science classes, taught a special education math class, and coached the CMS Girls Basketball Team.

Since 2007, Coyne has held the position of Special Education Instructional Coach for the district. She trains and supports K-8 special education staff with writing and implementing IEPs, including preparing for IEP meetings, collecting and analyzing data, and using appropriate instructional and behavior strategies. She collaborates with general education instructional coaches and teachers to develop and complete co-teaching strategies. She has provided professional learning opportunities on the Response to Intervention (RTI) and Student Assistance Team (SAT) practices, co-teaching models, and behavior intervention strategies. 

Coyne received a Bachelor of Science Degree in education and English from State University of New York at Geneseo in 1996; a Masters Degree in Special Education: Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disorders from Manhattanville College in 1999; and administration and supervision certification requirements from Sacred Heart University in 2013.