For the past 15 years, Carol Scheffler was the Coordinator of Student Affairs at Mamaroneck High School (MHS). Scheffler was beloved by all students for her kindness, charm, optimism and commitment to the school, so when it was time for her to retire at the end of last year, the question of who would be able to fill her shoes loomed over the student body and faculty alike. Luckily, a spirited and community centered Mamaroneck alum, Kristen Barnard, applied to make the move from the Hommocks Middle School Social Studies department to the center of student life at MHS.
Barnard, who touts that she got engaged in the Hommocks Library, was a social studies teacher known for her surplus of school spirit and friendly attitude.
To address the evolving needs of an MHS extracurricular landscape that exploded with student interest under Scheffler’s stewardship, central administration looked to expand the role of Student Affairs Coordinator, previously part time, upon her retirement. The position Barnard now occupies includes working full time, advising student government, overseeing all MHS clubs, leading the Mahiscan (yearbook), contributing to Tiger Time, managing senior portraits and senior internships, and general community building and fun.
Barnard, speaking to The Globe in her first week as Student Affairs Advisor (SAA), is most excited about “reconnect[ing] with students [I’ve had] over the last few years and get[ting] to have an opportunity to see them now and have some conversations about what they’d like their school to be and what it should look like and feel like.” Connecting with students is central to Barnard’s early plans as she looks to introduce Tiger Talks, an initiative which, she explains, will “bring in conversations with students who maybe aren’t involved at this point and find out why they’re not and what maybe they would be interested in.” Tiger Talks will consist of monthly meetings in her newly repainted office, adorned with orange painted walls and many tiger stuffed animals.
In a further attempt to include students from across the building, Barnard is partnering with Joe Robb O’Hagan (‘24) and Anna Donahue (‘24), seniors in the Original Civic Research and Action (OCRA) program, to launch the DEIB Student Committee. The group of 12 students will be gathered equally from each district elementary school, including representatives who attended a non-district elementary school, and those who are bilingual. Demographics like these, factored into the application process, will provide perspectives that reflect the diversity of MHS, and will be essential as the committee takes on a string of responsibilities: sitting in on Student Council and Mahiscan meetings, planning Club Fair, assisting Barnard in overseeing clubs, as well as working with Barnard on outreach programs like Tiger Talks. The aim: chosen students will help connect all corners of the school to the decision makers on Student Council and other major clubs that guide the student experience at Mamaroneck. Barnard thinks this committee will be “a game changer for all of us.”
One of Barnard’s other major goals is to increase school spirit and tiger pride, a goal also central to Principal Lina Carolini-Cannavo’s future vision for MHS. Leading this charge early, Barnard worked with Student Council representatives on introducing ‘welcome week’ for the first time this school year. This special first week of school included decorations (banners and balloon arches), free lemonade, free ice pops, and a tiger pride spirit day. The week was a big hit!
Barnard and Student Council aren’t stopping there: the extracurricular agenda for September and October is packed. Leaders on Student Council look forward to a five-on-five soccer tournament, car wash, and Homecoming spirit week, not to mention the annual ‘Battle of the Classes’ event coming in the first week of November. It’s all part of a joint goal “to pull off at least 1 or 2 school wide events per quarter,” which, according to Barnard, could look like an MHS entertainment night (talent show) or a Battle of the Bands, among many others.
‘Tiger Pride’ is of utmost importance to Barnard because of her lifelong love for the community. She notes how she “grew up here,” adding that “my [mom is] from Larchmont, my dad is from Mamaroneck.” As a former student, she describes how “pride comes [from] being able to reach far to touch as many students as you possibly can,” asking all students “how do you want your school to feel?” Next, she can “push forward student voices [and] their agenda.” To Barnard, the “most important thing [is] to get us to that point of pride because it’s more than being in the classroom. It’s how you handle being in the school in between classes and after school and how you are connected to the building.”
Not only does Barnard want to focus on students inside MHS, she has also made it a main goal to look towards Larchmont and Mamaroneck at large. She hopes to “reach out to the community; the counseling center, the food pantry, places that really positively impact our community, and the people who need support” and “would like to see a little bit more hands-on [activity] between the student body/student government and community needs.” In the end, she wants every grade to have “some kind of community outreach project,” one that would “would work with that organization for the full four years they were at MHS. That would be pretty powerful.” Barnard, focusing on establishing a foundation of Tiger Pride year one, plans to launch the initiative next fall. However, she leads Student Council alongside the six-person Executive Board, including a dedicated Vice-President of Philanthropy in Senior Maxwell Robinson (‘24), who will continue to lead Student Council’s positive community impact as liaison to Spiral Giving, a group that allocates grants to community organizations.
But before all the fun and innovative programs Barnard has in store, her first priority is to “make sure everyone feels like they have a place and a home” at MHS. She wants students to know they can reach her at any time in her office in the overpass, or over email at [email protected].
Barnard is known to joke that she “finally graduated [to the highschool] after 18 years!” With her deep roots in the district and all her new proposals, Barnard’s time at MHS is sure to be a huge success!
