Dr. Shanna Laney has been a valued member of the RCSD community for four years, serving as both the Director of COVID Response and Assistant Principal. Over the past two years, she has been dedicated to the Roosevelt Community and is honored to join the Kennedy Middle School staff for the 2024-2025 school year.

With over 24 years of experience in education, Dr. Laney's background includes teaching Spanish and AVID at the high school level, as well as instructing 2nd grade bilingual students and 3rd-5th grade newcomers. Her leadership roles have been diverse, ranging from WASC Coordinator and Small Learning Community Coordinator to English Learning Specialist. Since 2012, she has held various administrative positions and earned both her Master’s and Doctorate in Educational Leadership, with a focus on Multilingual Learners.

Dr. Laney is deeply committed to fostering leadership skills among her students, aiming to cultivate their abilities to lead with confidence and integrity. As a servant leader, she prioritizes the needs of her students and colleagues, striving to empower and support them in their personal and professional growth. Her extensive experience, passion, and dedication to educational excellence make Dr. Laney a valued asset to Kennedy Middle School.

Ellen Spencer will join Kennedy as a substitute administrator.

Mrs. Spencer served as a teacher for 12 years in elementary and middle schools before contributing to more comprehensive student achievement as a K-8 principal for 16 years. In that capacity, she guided private, public, urban, and rural schools, such as Beechwood School, a private school in Menlo Park, and public schools in the Ravenswood, La Honda-Pescadero, and Oakland school districts. She was the coordinator for the English language program for two years at the Berlin British School in Germany. She was also involved with mentoring and coaching at the San Mateo County Office of Education as a BTSA (Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) Support Provider for teachers and in the coaching program (Act II) for aspiring principals. Mrs. Spencer is most proud of her term as principal at the James Flood Science and Technology Magnet School due to its staff, students, and the community effort in Ravenswood that led to the award as a California Distinguished School. Excellence was the expectation for everyone.

Since retiring, Mrs. Spencer has been supervising new teachers at Notre Dame de Namur University. She feels strongly about providing school support and has designed workshops and materials to help teachers, principals, and support staff develop grade-level teams to design instruction and programs that encourage, support, and expect excellence from each other and their students. She is the proud mother of two children and two wonderful grandchildren and is looking forward to the arrival of a new one in September.

Mrs. Spencer is also excited about her upcoming role with the Kennedy School family. She is looking forward to contributing her expertise and experience with Kennedy staff, students, and families.