Great Barrington — The new school year for Muddy Brook Elementary School began on Wednesday, August 28, with new school Principal Cynthia Carey. Carey takes over from former school Principal Kate Retzel, who left at the end of the last school year.
Carey told The Berkshire Edge that she grew up on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and moved to Berkshire County with her family 22 years ago. “I moved to Berkshire County from New York City with my ex-husband right after 9/11,” she said. “His parents are from Stockbridge. I raised my three kids in the Berkshires, and I love the outdoors.”
Carey explained that she entered the education field because she “love[s] working with children and [she] wanted to make a difference in their lives.”
Carey recounted her time working in India and Africa with organizations to help families when she was young. “I remember coming home to New York City and wondering why I had to go to foreign countries to help out families when there are so many families that need help right in this country,” she said.
Carey began her career in education in 2011 when she became a math coach at Egremont Elementary School. She served at the school until 2016 when she moved on to become a math teacher for the sixth grade at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield, where she served until 2017.
Carey then moved into the administrative field in 2017 as the assessment coordinator for the Pittsfield Public School District. “I jumped from teaching to educational administration because I wanted to have a broader impact on the lives of children,” Carey said. “It’s important to have a broad picture. I was teaching math, but children need more when they come and sit in your classroom. They need more than a good, well-structured, thoughtful, and kind teacher. They need structures in their lives that support them so when they come to school, they’re ready to learn. Getting into administration was the way to do that.”
Carey served as the assessment coordinator for Pittsfield Public School District until 2021. She then served as the assistant principal at Muddy Brook Elementary School starting in 2021 before she became the school’s principal this year. “One of my goals as principal is to try to open our doors and offer opportunities to bring families into our school,” Carey said. “We want to build a strong school community where we all trust one another and everybody feels safe. It’s important that children and families feel connected to their school and feel safe here. Your brain is not available for learning unless you know you are safe. Children all need to know that they, and their families, are all connected with this community to come here and feel safe.”
Carey added that a successful school year depends on the unity of the school community. “I hope that the teachers, the students, and the families can all come together and pull in the same direction,” Carey said. “If they do, our children and families will be getting everything that they need from their school and their community.”
