Educators Get New Roles in Clay County School District for Next Year

Clay Today | June 10, 2020

Superintendent Broskie makes 15 changes at administrative levels

CLAY COUNTY – Superintendent David Broskie announced several administrative promotions within Clay County District Schools for the 2020-2021 school year. The school board approved the recommendations after each candidate completed comprehensive interviews last month.

“I continue to be amazed by the talent and leadership within our district and beyond. These administrators have proven track records of student success and growth as well as the willingness to take on new challenges. I look forward to the bright future ahead for Clay County District Schools with these leaders at the helm,” Broskie said.

The administrators are:

District Leaders:

Treasure Pickett – Director of K-12 Academic Support Services

Laura Fogarty – Director of Climate and Culture

Laura Fogarty is a distinguished educator with 27 years of experience serving the students and families of Clay County. She graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s degree in elementary education and earned her Master’s degree in educational leadership at the University of North Florida. Fogarty taught at Clay Hill Elementary and Lake Asbury Elementary. She has been awarded teacher of the year three times and won the WJXT Master Teacher award. At each of these schools, her leadership skills stood out as she served as the school improvement chairman for both.

Jim Fossa – Supervisor of Operations, School Safety and Security

Fossa is a graduate of Salem State University and Jacksonville University’s Middle Grades Math curriculum, Second Career as a Teacher program. He is a 15-year educator and three sport coach serving both Clay County and The Bolles School. Currently, Fossa is the District’s Planner and Intergovernmental affairs coordinator. In that role he serves on Clay County’s Planning Commission and Development Review Committee. He is a retired Navy Captain. His last duty station was US Forces Iraq, Baghdad, and second Middle East Deployment.

John Sgromolo – Coordinator of District Athletics and Development

Sgromolo is a product of the Clay County School System (Paterson Elementary, Green Cove Springs Junior High, Clay High). Following a four-year playing career at Flagler College, Sgromolo was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2012 MLB Draft. After his professional baseball career, he taught one year at Clay High before joining the team at Ridgeview High in 2014. In his six years at Ridgeview High School, Sgromolo was a finalist for Teacher of the Year and has led Ridgeview High to back to back FHSAA Fred E. Rozelle Sportsmanship Awards. He was also most recently a finalist for the National Athletic Director of the Year from Varsity Brands.

School-Based Leaders:

Carolyn Hayward – Principal of Wilkinson Elementary

Carolyn Hayward is a dynamic instructional leader who started teaching in Clay County at Bannerman Learning Center, first as an EBD/SC teacher, then as a Behavior Site Coach and team leader. During her 18 years at Bannerman Learning Center, she served as the ESE representative during district discipline hearings, pioneered the Community Based Vocational Education program, and developed the structured behavioral support program known as the Success System. Additionally, she was voted Teacher of the Year by her colleagues. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Special Education from the University of South Florida and a Master of Education Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of North Florida.

Amy Vann – Principal of Thunderbolt Elementary

Amy Vann has served Clay County District Schools for the past 16 years. Prior to joining Clay County District Schools, she served as a teacher in the Duval County School District for four years. Vann has proudly served the school communities of W.E. Cherry Elementary, Paterson Elementary, and Plantation Oaks Elementary as an Assistant Principal. Prior to becoming an Assistant Principal, she taught 5th and 6th-grade and also worked as a reading coach. Vann earned her Bachelor’s in Education at the University of North Florida and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Grand Canyon University.

Melissa Wright – Principal of Grove Park Elementary

Melissa Wright is Clay County School District’s 2019 Assistant Principal of the Year. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Bethune-Cookman University in Elementary Education, her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Walden University and her Educational Leadership Certification from University of North Florida. Wright began her educational career in the Putnam County School District in 1999 as a third-grade teacher. She joined the Clay County School District in 2001, as a fourth-grade teacher at Thunderbolt Elementary. She spent 11 years teaching and leading within the district as a fourth and fifth grade teacher at Argyle Elementary and Oakleaf Elementary.

Wilnitra Dixon – Principal of Oakleaf Village Elementary

Wilnitra Dixon is a Florida native who moved to Clay County in 2003 to serve as an educator for Clay County District Schools. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Social Science from Florida State University and a Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of North Florida. Dixon has a passion for establishing positive learning environments that challenge students while encouraging and supporting teachers through continuous professional development to enhance quality instruction. Dixon has served as a teacher at Green Cove Springs Junior High and Thunderbolt Elementary. While at Thunderbolt Elementary, she was nominated as the 2013 Teacher of the Year.

Melissa Metz – Principal of Coppergate School of the Arts

Melissa Metz has a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership. Metz has 16 years of educational experience working in a variety of capacities in Duval County Public Schools. She was a classroom teacher for seven years at the elementary and high school levels. From there, she was a reading coach at the elementary and middle school levels before becoming a district literacy specialist. Administratively, Metz has six years of experience; three of which have been as an elementary school principal. In 2019, she moved Chimney Lakes Elementary (Title I) from a B to an A, making CLE a Florida School of Excellence.

Sarah Brennan – Principal of Tynes Elementary

Sarah Brennan is a veteran educator with 26 years of experience spanning kindergarten through post-secondary instruction. After graduating from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in history, she returned to her hometown of Baltimore to teach in a Title 1 middle school while she pursued her Masters in Special Education. Since relocating to Clay County in 2006, Brennan worked in the classroom as a member of the inaugural faculty of Oakleaf K-8 and as an ESE inclusion teacher at Thunderbolt Elementary. In 2014, Brennan moved into the district’s Human Resources department as a SPRINT teacher specialist.

Matthew Boyack – Principal of Oakleaf High

Matthew Boyack is a dedicated instructional leader who has served Clay County in various roles for the past 13 years. Boyack began his teaching career at Orange Park High School where he was a standout Social Studies teacher and coach. At Orange Park High School, he was a fervent advocate for teachers through his work as Clay County Education Association Board chairman and school-site representative. In 2015, he was honored by Clay County Schools as their “Teacher of the Year” and he went on to win the Mary J. Brogan award for “Excellence in Teaching” at the state teacher of the year awards ceremony.

Martin Aftuck – Principal of Middleburg High

Martin Aftuck is a veteran 18-year Clay County educator. He has served as a gifted social studies teacher and coach at Lakeside Junior High, an AP US History teacher and Athletic Director at Orange Park High, and as an assistant principal at Bannerman Learning Center and Oakleaf High. Along the way, Aftuck developed a lifelong love for literacy and a passion for assisting at-risk students with access to academic interventions and social emotional learning. Following his appointment as principal at Bannerman, he proceeded to improve the climate and culture of Clay County’s alternative school by working alongside teachers and staff to facilitate an environment that incentivized positive behavior and high expectations for all learners.

Mark Mckinney – Principal of Bannerman Learning Center

Mark Mckinney has been an educator in Clay County for the past 25 years. He began his tenure in Clay County at Bannerman Learning Center, teaching Adaptive PE in the EBD program. He then transitioned to Clay High School where he taught Algebra I and Algebra II for 16 years. During this time, he was selected as a Spotlight Teacher of the Year, Teacher of the Year semifinalist, and was very active with student engagement, coaching football and softball, and sponsoring many classes. Mckinney has spent the last eight years as vice principal at Ridgeview High, working with teachers to build strong instructional practices and increase student graduation rates.

Laurie Burke – Principal of Keystone Heights Jr/Sr High

Laurie Burke is an alumnus of Keystone Heights Elementary and Keystone Heights Jr/Sr High, K-12. As a student-athlete, she took first place at state in the 110yd hurdles, 100-meter hurdles, the long jump, and went to the Final Four with her team in basketball. She continued her basketball career at Valdosta State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Health and Physical Education. She also earned her Master’s Degree at the University of North Florida in Educational Leadership. Burke has served the Clay County School District for 25 years at all levels, K-12.

Amanda Stilianou – Principal of Clay Virtual Academy

Amanda Stilianou is a proud graduate of the Clay County School District where she currently has 15-years in educational experience. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology and received her Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the American College of Education. As a classroom teacher she taught a wide range of subjects to include Biology, Anatomy, AP Chemistry, Algebra 2 and Math for College Readiness. She has been an Assistant Principal at Oakleaf High for five years, where she has helped lead the school to an “A” grade, an increase in their graduation rate, and in expanding the digital learning throughout the school.