A Tradition of Excellence at
Finley Middle School
Finley Middle School Headlines
Finley Suits Up for New School Year
J. Taylor Finley Middle School on Greenlawn Road is all set for another school year. The building opened in September 1965 and has been in continuous service to the Huntington UFSD community ever since.
Finley Friendship Club Completes Enjoyable Year
John (Dante) LaPlaca is an eighth grade student at J. Taylor Finley Middle School. He’s been a peer mentor of the weekly social skills group, the Friendship Club for the past two years. The organization was started 19 years ago by school psychologist Dr. Mary DiBenedetto when she saw the benefit of students with special needs learning social skills from their peers in natural settings.
Finley Middle School Important Information
- J. Taylor Finley Middle School - School Comprehensive Education Plan 2026-27
- J. Taylor Finley Counseling Plan 2026-27
- J. Taylor Finley 2026-27 Curriculum Guide (English/ Spanish versions)
- Finley Middle School Action Plan
- Finley Guidance Deptartment: 8th Grade Planning workshop (English/Spanish)
- Revised Field Trip Parent-Guardian Consent Form (During School Hours: English and Spanish)
- J. Taylor Finley Drama Club Productions Since 2000-Present
About Finley Middle
Student-Centered
A school is much more than bricks and mortar or a compilation of facts and information. At J. Taylor Finley Middle School, faculty and support staff members have purposely created a student-centered environment that is academically challenging, psychologically satisfying, and socially fulfilling.
Vital Roles
Because the adolescent period is an extremely important phase in every youngster’s development, the middle school plays a vital role in helping each student blossom into an independent and well-educated person.
Guidance through Critical Transitions
Finley relies on its excellent staff to ease students into and to guide them through this very critical transition from a self-contained elementary school classroom to a departmentalized program. Faculty members are aware of the importance of a close teacher-student relationship and of teacher-parent contacts. They foster growth in the ability of students to make decisions and to work independently. Teachers utilize a humanistic approach as they encourage and challenge students to set realistic and attainable standards of academic performance and social interaction.
Strong Foundational Skills
J. Taylor Finley Middle School has developed a program to build upon and emphasize the strong foundation of skills each student has acquired at the elementary school level, to pursue further the many different academic disciplines, to explore the creative and aesthetic areas of the fine and practical arts, to expand the awareness of career possibilities and to cultivate lifelong physical and recreational skills.
Flexibility, individualization and enrichment characterize the wide range of student experiences at J. Taylor Finley Middle School, which has been serving the community for more than four decades.
Finley Leadership
Traci Roethel
Principal
Traci Roethel has been principal of J. Taylor Finley Middle School since July 1, 2019. She was Woodhull Intermediate School’s principal for 5½ years after coming to Huntington from Candlewood Middle School in Dix Hills, where she was an assistant principal.
Mrs. Roethel earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education at Stetson University in Florida in 1992. She obtained a Master of Science degree in education with a specialization in math at Queens College in 2003 and completed an advanced graduate certificate in educational leadership at Stony Brook University in 2009.
Mrs. Roethel has completed numerous educational workshops related to curriculum and improving instruction, including Columbia University Teacher’s College seminars.
Prior to embarking on an administrative career, Mrs. Roethel worked as a sixth grade math teacher and fourth grade classroom teacher in Oyster Bay and as a math consultant to the Oyster Bay-East Norwich, Shoreham-Wading River and Hicksville school districts. She was a fourth grade teacher in Volusia County, Florida for seven years before moving to New York.
Mrs. Roethel and her husband, Guenther, a captain with JetBlue Airways, are the parents of three children.
Mrs. Roethel is a member of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Alexis Estrada
Assistant Principal
Alexis Estrada has been J. Taylor Finley Middle School’s assistant principal since July 1. She earned an undergraduate degree at SUNY Old Westbury in childhood education/English language arts with a concentration in multicultural/US and British literature. She obtained a Master of Science in English as an Acquired Language at CUNY Queens College and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Educational Leadership at Stony Brook University.
At the time of her appointment in Huntington, Ms. Estrada had been serving as assistant principal at PS 143Q – The Louis Armstrong Elementary School in Corona since August 2019. She earlier worked as a teacher at PS 16Q – The Nancy DeBenedittis School in Corona from September 2015 to June 2019.
Ms. Estrada also taught at IS 93Q – Ridgewood Junior High School in Ridgewood from September 2012 to June 2015. She has enjoyed a variety of educational experiences from coordinating a grant for an after-school Queens Botanical Garden program to implementing the Common Threads program.
Over the course of her career, Ms. Estrada has worked as a dual language teacher, classroom teacher, English as a new language provider and English/ENL integrated co-teacher. She was the liaison for the ENL student identification intake process at Ridgewood Junior High School in 2013/14.
Ms. Estrada is fluent in reading, writing and speaking Spanish. She has experience in leadership and supervision, testing coordination, operational management and community engagement and events coordination.
Finley Videos and Galleries
Art and Fashion Show 2026
Huntington district students K-12 are celebrated as they display their creativity and artwork in the two day annual District Art and Fashion Show
Bandfest 2026
Huntington UFSD’s 12th annual Band Fest was better than ever as hundreds of students spread across grades 4-12 participated in the district wide initiative.
Into the Woods
Finley Drama Club's 'Into the Woods' Performance Video by Darin Reed
8th Grade Parent Night
8th Grade Parent Night Guidance Presentation Workshop
Battle of the Grades
Weeklong competition aimed at fostering school pride and teamwork among the different classes through a series of engaging challenges
Finley Galleries and Slideshows
Finley Middle School Events
Our Partners in Excellence
Finley Middle School Vitals
Contact Info
Additional Information
School Hours
Established
Grades
Mascot
Attendance
Attendance Voicemail
Attendance Email
Nurse Hotline
Nurse FAX
200+
Challenging Academic Courses
14
Academic Departments
30+
Interscholastic Athletic Teams
90+
Colleges and Universities accepting 2020 HHS Graduates