Ija Hawthorne, Principal

Welcome to the Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School webpage! I am Ija Hawthorne. The proud Principal of Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School-Home of the Phantoms! One of my roles as principal with the support of all stakeholders is to develop and maintain a positive school/community climate to include a safe and healthy environment. I am monitoring progress daily to check the fidelity of the implementation and progress of our school’s instructional programs based on student needs and within state and district guidelines.

I have been fortunate enough to work at all levels as an administrator, including elementary, middle and high school. My scope for learning and what works well with students is from the lens of all three levels.  I was also fortunate during this time to receive the Richard Allen Assistant Principal of the Year and Career and Technical Administrator of the Year Award during the 2012-2013 school year.

My goal is to make certain your students leave here prepared for a successful high school transition, and to empower your students to think strategically, to explore and move beyond any perceived learning barriers, and to apply their learning in the real world. 

Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School has an amazing group of faculty and staff members, and I am truly elated to work with faculty, staff and our “Phantoms!” I challenge you to stay involved (SAC, PTSA, or Adopt a Class), check Portal once a week, make certain your student participates in any of our learning initiatives and by all means keep me informed on the successes and points of improvement for our school.  Stay tuned to the Phantom Times for their fantastic work of art to find out the latest happenings.

As always, GOOOOOO, Phantoms!

Hawthornei@pcsb.org

Leah Donnelly, 6th Grade Assistant Principal

Hello, I am Mrs. Donnelly is the 8th Grade Assistant Principal. I am passionate about being an agent of change and supporting the education system to positively impact and increase student achievement. I continuously work to challenge educators to promote equitable practices and ensure ALL scholars are receiving access to grade-level content. My experiences have helped me to develop strategies necessary to assist teachers with maintaining high expectations of their scholars, both in behavior and academic. Prior to serving as an Assistant Principal at Morgan Fitzgerald, I was an instructional staff developer for English Language Arts and Reading. When I served as a classroom teacher, I was fortunate to have had a broad scope of experiences ranging from ESE to General Education Reading instruction. I am looking forward to an amazing year with all our Phantoms!

Donnellyl@pcsb.org

Amanda O'mara, 8th Grade Assistant Principal

 Mrs. Amanda O'Mara is the 7th grade assistant principal.  She earned her BA from Wells College, in Aurora, New York and her MA in school leadership from Teachers' College, Columbia University.  The majority of her career has been in charter school education, starting in New Orleans, Louisiana as an active participant in the post-Katrina national education reform movement.   She also has experience as an instructional coach in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, prior to her move to Pinellas County.  Most recently, she taught 6^th grade math at Clearwater Intermediate.  She has experience teaching K-12 mathematics and specializes in taking students from below-level to proficient.  

  Omaraa@pcsb.org