Testimonials
In our experience, Shadia Alvarez has a gift for helping to frame issues in a way that facilitates productive discussion, problem-solving, and decision-making. She shows great sensitivity to the needs and perspectives of the College’s multiple constituencies -- our students, professors, staff, alumni, and external partners. When we deal with conflicting issues, we benefit regularly from her great gift for listening and her exceptional talent for drawing out and hearing alternative points of view, and for building consensus. She is on occasion a firm and forceful advocate, but always presents her observations and recommendations in a fashion that is civil and respectful of everyone who is participating or is affected.
- Tom Manley, Robert Holister, Malta Von Matthiessen, Antioch College, November 13, 2018
I want to thank you for our time together during the year and one half you served as my assistant principal; for the tireless hours, we spent leading a successful school to even greater success. Although your background and experience were completely unlike my own, we meshed. I recall the wonderful days and nights (yes, many of those too) we spent developing plans to meet the needs of all levels of CIMS students. As we shared expertise, yours in the area of special needs children and mine in the area of strongly academic children, you helped me see new ways of supporting teachers to bring the neediest students to achieve success and earn their high school graduation. Our teachers appreciated not only your suggestions but also, your willingness to supply both time and materials to them. They and I always felt your support.
- Estelle Hans, Founder-Principal, Collegiate Institute for Math and Science, June 2014
As the principal of Collegiate Institute for Math & Science and a member of our Building Council, on the Columbus Campus (2011-2014), we have collaborated with you and worked hand-in-hand to make the campus a place that serves all students, staff, and visitors. As a team leader, you led and guided us through a number of initiatives that supported us in developing and modeling a culture of high expectations and accountable leadership. You worked with our council to revamp our building security and transform the team of safety agents so that they show respect and cooperate with all schools. You put hours of effort into a plan to re-allocate space in the building, in an effort to provide schools with equitable access to resources, space, and technologies. You worked as our campus custodial liaison and communicated frequently and diligently to improve our campus cleanliness, repairs, and building systems, as well as improve the campus culture around custodial duties. As a cabinet member you initiated many opportunities and visits for the campus principals to network, share resources, and work together on behalf of our students, and despite our school's different mission, culture and goals. Finally, you orchestrated many meetings that allowed for us to get to know one another as people so that we could function better as a team. Thank you for your leadership, service, time, and passion!
- Sandra Burgos, Astor Academy; Carolyn Quintana, Bronxdale High School; Julie Nariman, High School for Language & Innovation; and Carlos Santiago, Pelham Prep; Principals, Christopher Columbus Campus, July 2014.
Even before you entered the position of principal, you pushed me to be innovative within the confines of my classroom. I particularly recall a time when you participated in mock group interviews during a unit on the college entrance process, making time in your day to challenge my students with difficult questions and demonstrating for them the friendly professionalism with which you always conducted yourself. In your time as principal, you were very encouraging that I should develop my career path. To this end, you offered various responsibilities to me so that I might develop as a future administrator. You gave me an opportunity to perform as Staff Developer and Induction Coordinator. You also gave me the opportunity to write an extension of the school mission during the summer session. I would like to sincerely thank you for these opportunities and for having been a role model for my own professional behavior.
- John Hesse, Staff Developer, June 2014
I would just like to take a few moments to thank you for all that you have done for me, your students, and the CIMS community. Since joining CIMS as an ATR in 2011, I have had the honor of calling CIMS my second home. I believe that luck plays a large role in some of the best things that happen in our lives, and I feel extremely lucky in so many ways when it comes to CIMS. Most importantly, I am lucky that as an ATR I was placed in such a wonderful school just as you were taking over as Principal. You gave me an opportunity when not many others would. You welcomed me with open arms and I felt as though I was part of the CIMS community from the moment I entered the school. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this, because your warmth, passion, love, acceptance and so much more are what reinvigorated my love for education at the darkest time in my career. In just two years, I went from ATR to Big Apple Teacher Award Semi-Finalist.
I would also like to thank you on behalf of your 650-plus students. I would like to be their voice. They miss you. It is evident. They ask about you constantly and wish you and your growing family well. You may have two children at home, but you also have over 600 children at CIMS, who at least from 8:00-3:00pm every day consider you a consistent and loving mother figure.
Lastly, I would like to thank you for all that you have done for the CIMS community. So much of what I love about CIMS has been touched by your hands and your heart: our department meetings, our club activities, our growing bond as staff members, your silly and lovable "plane metaphor," your themed-days, your kind words ("shout outs") during weekly bulletins, your motivational speeches... I can go on and on. You made CIMS a home away from home not just for students, but for staff as well. You made CIMS a place where staff members wanted to teach, wanted to grow, wanted to share their passions, wanted to learn from peers, and wanted to be in general. You built a community centered around people who believed that if you truly care for students, truly believed in doing things the right way, then, nothing could stop us. We bought in! I believe in your philosophy and I believe in you!
- Greg Van-Voorhis, English Team Leader, June 2014
We wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank you for your support and leadership while at Collegiate Institute for Math & Science and offer this letter as the merest token of our esteem. As a leader, you placed our advancement as potential leaders as a priority, always understanding that it would eventually take us away from CIMS. This action demonstrated your unselfishness and as you said, your belief that “schools need leaders, and students need advocates-I support you 110% in rising to the challenge and I know you will make a difference”.
While at CIMS you trusted us, among many other things you gave us opportunities to lead different projects such as coordinating the hiring committee, and being a part of hiring several truly talented and committed young teachers, all of whom are still with us. You allowed us to plan experiential learning opportunities with your leadership and support we were able to take 40 students overnight to Washington, D.C., to study government and law. Your passion for creating teacher leaders and allowing teacher voices to be heard has been an example, which we intend to emulate. You fought the fight to change the fixed mindsets on our staff and helped develop a growth mindset for our students and teachers alike-thus making CIMS a learning environment for all.
You believed in us, with your kind and at times tough guidance you encouraged us to continue on a leadership path that resulted in our selection to the NYCDOE Leadership Academy's Leadership Advancement Program (LAP) and the New York City Leadership Academy.
As we prepare to become future AP/Principal, we look forward to seeking your advice on future matters. Your leadership will serve as a model of how to place students first and empower teachers to develop to the best of their ability.
- Luis Colon, Vernon Johnson, and Harold Brown, LAP Leaders & Special Education Teachers, June 2014