OBEN Welcomes New Director of Special Services: Ms. Abruzzo

By Stefanie Sadocha

This fall, the Oyster Bay-East Norwich CSD welcomed a new Director of Special Services, Ms. Lynette Abruzzo. Ms. Abruzzo is ecstatic to learn more about the tight-knit community of Oyster Bay-East Norwich as she continues to become acquainted with students and staff. 

​Ms. Abruzzo grew up in Queens and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education and Elementary Education at St. John’s University. She then continued her education at Queens College, where she received her Masters Degree in Speech/Language Pathology.

Ms. Abruzzo began her career as a Speech Pathologist, and as her skills in the field developed, she began taking on more administrative roles. This led her to becoming the Assistant Director of Special Education in West Hempstead and, most recently, the Director of Special Education for Garden City Public Schools. 

Ms. Abruzzo shares that she has always loved working with children. While working as a Speech Pathologist, she found engaging with children especially interesting. “I love seeing children learn and improve their communication. Seeing their progression is a really amazing thing,” Ms. Abruzzo says. 

Outside of school, Ms. Abruzzo loves to travel and spend time with her friends and family. Additionally, when indoors, she is often in her kitchen. “I love to bake, and trying new recipes is so much fun for me. Baking is all about trial and error. I end up scrapping something pretty frequently, but it is important to remember that you are improving, which applies to everything in life.”

At her previous school districts, Ms. Abruzzo enjoyed making cakes for her colleagues' birthdays. “I always let them choose which kind they wanted, and it would sometimes turn into a competition. They would choose one that looked difficult to make to see if I would be able to do it,” she shares. She adds that she hopes to continue this tradition here in OBEN.

Excited for the upcoming year, Ms. Abruzzo’s biggest focus here at OBEN is continuous development. “The goal is always to focus on student growth, independence, and reaching maximum potential,” she states. 

​We welcome Ms. Abruzzo to our staff and wish her success this school year!

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