Mark V. Speno

Green Street School
Windham Southeast School District
Brattleboro, Vermont
mspeno@wsesdvt.org

Mark Speno has been principal of Green Street School for the past six years. In his tenure at Green Street School, student achievement and academic scores have improved steadily. Speno’s efforts to transform academic performance at Green Street began with increasing the number of staff, improving his campus’ physical condition, and providing a diverse range of enrichment activities for students. Spearheading a shift from individual tutoring to after school programs, 80 percent to 90 percent of the Green Street community is involved with at least one after school activity. But Speno’s efforts to improve extracurricular involvement doesn’t stop at students. Faculty are also involved in enrichment activities as mentors. A newfound sense of community has emerged at Green Street as a result of Speno’s commitment to his students. Focus on athletics, the arts, and academics has improved campus morale and helped to foster more bonds between students and staff. Additionally, students participate in weekly STEAM classes and Art Integration. Creative scheduling has allowed Speno to support student learning and maximizes social and emotional development. This scheduling system supports distributed leadership, and Speno checks in with teachers on a weekly basis to plan staff professional development. Speno makes a concerted effort at developing distributed leadership and ensuring that systems of support are clear and accessible. Speno holds a post-master’s in Education Leadership from Keene State College and an M.A. in Education and a B.A. from the University of Vermont.