New Teachers Build Early Momentum as Huntington UFSD Launches Year-Long Professional Development Series

Following an intensive two-day orientation program designed to prepare incoming faculty members for long and successful careers in the Huntington School District, the new educators are hitting the ground running across the district's schools. The teachers were hired to fill key roles in a variety of areas across multiple grade levels and buildings.

During the summer orientation program at Jack Abrams Intermediate School, Superintendent Beth McCoy welcomed the cohort and emphasized how special and unique the Huntington school community is. Organized by Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Brenden Cusack, the program introduced teachers to key district leaders, central office administrators, principals, and department heads while laying down foundational expectations for student engagement and classroom success.

As the school year gets underway, the new faculty members are already putting those orientation practices into action across their classrooms. Teachers were encouraged to establish clear routines on the first day of class, communicate learning objectives and expectations, build positive relationships with every student, and proactively reach out to parents during the opening week. Coupled with effective teaching practices, high standards, and district support systems such as the teacher mentoring program and employee support initiatives, the incoming staff is focused on driving great outcomes for all students.

To maintain this momentum and ensure continuous professional growth throughout the academic year, the district has launched its 2026–2027 New Teacher Orientation Professional Development Series. Held at Jack Abrams Intermediate School, the monthly workshops feature separate afternoon sessions tailored to elementary and secondary teachers.

The upcoming series kicked off on September 23, 2026, with a workshop entitled “Creating Welcoming and Affirming Environments for All Students,” facilitated by Mr. Cusack. In October, Deputy Superintendent, Chris Hender, will guide teachers through the process of developing their professional portfolios with his presentation, “Your Digital Portfolio / Google Classroom”. The schedule continues in November, with an “Associated Teachers of Huntington Presentation” led by Betsy Flanagan, ATH President, followed by a December session on “Part 154 / Bilingual Progression” facilitated by the district’s Director of World Languages and Bilingual Programs, Judy Moroff. The series resumes after the new year in January, when Huntington Teacher Center Director, Angela Berner, leads a workshop on “Differentiating Instruction & Using Data to Inform Instruction”.

Huntington’s newest teachers are comprehensively supported by their building principals, departmental supervisors, mentors and caring veteran colleagues. With ongoing training and continuous administrative support, Huntington’s next generation of educators are well prepared to make a lasting difference in the lives of their students throughout the year and beyond.