The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Ex-Keigwin vice principal wins Neag School award
Middletown resident lauded as outstanding school leader
MIDDLETOWN — The University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education Alumni Board recently selected city resident Samuel Galloway as its 2018 Outstanding School Administrator Award recipient.
The Bristol Public Schools director of human resources was recognized March 17 at the Neag School’s 20th annual alumni awards celebration in Storrs.
“I’m blessed that I had the opportunity to operate in capacities where I either protected or served, and that has been a blessing. I am very proud to have gone to UConn,” Galloway said in a prepared statement.
Galloway balanced two careers simultaneously: in education and as a Connecticut State Police sergeant.
He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves, and was honorably discharged at the rank of first lieutenant. Prior to pursuing a career in education, Galloway served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, according to the release.
“Dr. Samuel Galloway is an outstanding school leader who has garnered the respect and admiration of those people who have worked with him,” nominator David H. Larson, executive director emeritus of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents said in the release. “He is a bright, articulate, and collaborative school leader who accepts responsibility squarely. He is truly a man of high integrity.”
Galloway received his 6th Year certification in 2001 from the UConn Administrator Preparation Program through Neag, according to a news release. He earned his doctorate in education and superintendent certification from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. He also holds a master of arts in education and bachelor of science in business economics from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.
Larson first hired Galloway as an elementary school teacher in the Middletown Public School system in 1993.
“At the time, he was a Connecticut State Trooper. When I asked him why he wanted to become a teacher he said, ‘Dr. Larson, I see what happens to young people who get in trouble and go to jail. I want to prevent this. I want to give young people the chance for a successful life,’ ” Larson said.
Galloway was a teacher and assistant principal at Keigwin Middle School in Middletown and as a middle school and high school principal in Bloomfield. Under his leadership, Galloway helped increase the graduation rate from 72 percent to 92 percent, the reading scores by 15 percent, and the AP calculus pass rate from 0 percent to 64 percent, according to Larson.
“Dr. Galloway is one of the most focused, mission-driven, and talented educational leaders I have ever worked with,” nominator Dr. Ellen Solek, superintendent of Bristol Public Schools, said in the statement. “He serves with distinction as the consummate professional educator, leader, and team player in a very complex and demanding urban school district.
“Dr. Galloway clearly understands the synergy of community, civic government and education, all coming together to create a system of excellence,” she added. “He is not afraid to take on contentious situations and always works to resolve them in ways that keep the best interest of students at the center of the solution.”
The Connecticut State Police awarded Galloway two life-saving medals and an outstanding service citation during his time as a police trooper.
He was on a task force with the New Haven and Bridgeport Police Departments, where he received awards for honorable service.
The award annually honors a graduate of UConn’s Neag School of Education who demonstrates excellence and has made significant contributions to his/her profession.
For information, visit education.uconn.edu.