Dr. Robert Quinlan Joins Midwood As New Principal
Coming from a versatile teaching background, Dr. Robert Quinlan has joined Midwood as the school’s new principal. Photo: Michael Onysko
By MICHAEL ONYSKO
Less than three months after Mr. Michael McDonnell turned the lights off in the principal’s office for the last time, Dr. Robert Quinlan turned the lights on for his first. In August, Dr. Quinlan became the new principal of Midwood, the ninth leader in the school’s history.
“Midwood is a school with a stellar reputation, and when the opportunity became available, I didn’t even think for a nanosecond,” he said. “I jumped right on it.”
Dr. Quinlan comes from an experienced education background with 16 years in the field. He last taught at the Brooklyn High School of the Arts, where he was the Assistant Principal of Humanities and Guidance.
Dr. Quinlan went to New York University and pursued his doctorate in educational leadership. He studied social studies secondary education and was also an adjunct professor at Hunter College.
As a high school history teacher, he taught Global History, U.S. History, AP World History, AP U.S. History, AP Seminar, and AP Research. Dr. Quinlan also started the AP Capstone Program at his previous high school, taught ENL (English as a New Language) for one year, and taught an academic support program called AVID.
“I always enjoyed school myself,” he said. “I just loved history, and I loved being in the classroom, so I figured, why not get into something I love doing, and it’s been history ever since.”
Education is deeply rooted in Dr. Quinlan’ s life, beginning with him tutoring his younger brothers.
“Education has given me everything that I have – it’s the key to knowledge, experience, and wisdom,” he said. “I think that for me, education has opened doors and helped me open doors to get students to the colleges and careers of their dreams.”
Growing up on Long Island, Dr. Quinlan attended West Islip High School. “It was extraordinarily similar to Midwood in the sense that it had a breadth of academic courses, AP courses, athletics, and clubs. Very similar,” he said.
Dr. Quinlan has two kids: a daughter who just turned seven and a son who will be four years old in January. Their tastes are rubbing off on him. “Being with them, you know, they are big fans of Spider-man and princess movies,” he said, “so stuff like that becomes my hobbies, too.”
He also likes to work out, run, and read. “I’m into fiction and nonfiction,” he said. “It’s Halloween time, so I just got done reading for the first time The Shining [by Stephen King], the inspiration for the classic horror movie. I would say the book is a thousand times better than the movie and it’s also one of my favorite Halloween stories. I love the book It by Stephen King, too, a real terrifying tale.”
“But I also like reading history,” he added. “Presidential biographies, anything about the Civil War, anything about leadership and education. I always have a book next to my bed. It’s a good example for my kids and helps to keep my brain fresh.”
Dr. Quinlan’s love of history has a family connection. “My grandfather was in World War II in the merchant marines,” he said, “but I was a well-rounded student. I loved trigonometry, I loved calculus, I loved English. I know I’m being very political here and talking out of both sides of my mouth, but I loved playing volleyball in gym class as much as I did walking into chemistry class and learning about the periodic table of elements. I mean that. I really do love education as a whole.”
While still in college, Dr. Quinlan worked as a manager at the Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse in Midtown Manhattan. The job allowed him to get experience and pay the bills while he finished his studies. He ended up meeting his wife at the restaurant. They’ve been married since 2013; it will be ten years in May.
“She was a hostess, I was a manager, and little did I know that she would check my schedule to see when I was working so she could work the same schedule as me, and the rest is history,” he said.
Dr. Quinlan was very enthusiastic about his new role at Midwood.
“I don't think we have enough time in this interview for me to go over everything, I gotta tell you,” he said. “Even simple things like walking through during passing and being in the classroom, going to athletic events, talking to students like yourself, all the clubs – everyone is just so amazing here.”
“My philosophy as a leader is that it is important to build excitement and engagement and build relationships with students and staff,” he said. “Without the students, we wouldn’t be here, so it's important [to see the school as] a human organization, a social organization, so that people like coming to the place they work. That’s very important to me.”
“I am looking forward to learning all the traditions and celebrations, getting to know the students, the staff, the families,” he said. “I am excited to be a part of Midwood’s history, and I am excited to maintain the academic rigor, athletic competition, and student engagement.”
“Right now my goal is to just continue to learn, collaborate, and engage in the school community,” he said, “to continue to have a smooth transition. And my long term goal is to bring Midwood to even greater heights, as one unit.”