Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Published: 5/25/2021 11:12:31 AM
Incoming SMS principal Tim Conway has the unusual distinction of having worked at each of ConVal’s 11 schools over his 13 years in the school district. The experience gave Conway a good understanding of what his students experienced in elementary school, and what they need when they finish eighth grade in order to succeed in high school, he said, after serving as a traveling PE teacher in the elementary schools, teaching wellness at the high school, and most recently serving as assistant principal at SMS.
As principal, he wants to push students and faculty towards their full potential, and have students and their parents feel proud of their time at SMS. That’s not so different from what he used to do as a coach for ConVal and Bedford, bringing baseball teams to state and national tournaments in addition to coaching basketball and football. “I feel like coaching really prepared me for where I am now,” he said, getting everyone to buy into a common goal, organizing a team’s resources, and overcoming adversity. “This is a position I really value, and I really plan on setting up shop and staying here for a long time,” he said.
One of Conway’s first initiatives is to ensure all existing support systems for students are working in tandem. Social emotional learning is at the heart of the plan, he said, which gives students the skills they need to move from one level to the next.
The pandemic made a lot of educators more resilient, Conway said. “It can be challenging, but you learn a lot through adversity,” he said. “All of us came out with more resilience, and we’re more ready for anything now.”
Post-pandemic, Conway said he’s interested in bringing back the school’s culture committee, comprised of students and faculty, which he formed a couple years ago to help make students feel welcomed, and to provide choices and a safe environment. “Middle school students need choice, and they need the ability to feel heard,” Conway said. Earlier student input led to the establishment of “choice recess,” where students can choose between outdoor play, court sports, or tabletop games during their free time, he said.
Conway grew up in Bedford, earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education for grades K-12 from Plymouth State University in 2008, and a master’s in educational leadership at Keene State College in 2017. He received ConVal’s Outstanding Teacher Award during the 2017-18 school year, and became assistant principal at South Meadow School in August 2018. The hiring process for his replacement as assistant principal is ongoing. Conway lives in Lyndeborough with his wife and two children.
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