QPA’s Faces Of Leadership

Meeting Our New Principal:

Leading the way to a brighter future

Ms. Avionne Gumbs-Cummings, QPA’s new principal, has served as an administrator in New York City public schools for 20 years. She also wholeheartedly believes “everything happens for a reason.” These words serve as a constant reminder for her to trust in her journey and know that every experience, whether positive and negative, has a purpose in shaping her life and career.

Principal Gumbs believes this adage reinforces her resilience and optimism when facing challenges, knowing they will eventually lead her towards greater opportunities for personal growth. It also speaks to the fact that her placement at Queens Preparatory Academy when we’re still recovering from the pandemic, was meant to be.

Raised in Jamaica, Queens, Ms. Gumbs attended Hillcrest High School where she was an active member of the soccer team. Her passion for the game was sparked by her uncle, whom she greatly admired. He also happened to be an accountant, which initially inspired her to pursue a career in that field. However, that changed after she interned at the “Big Apple Games” during the summer after her freshman year of college.  She claims working with children during that internship helped her find her calling.  “From that point on,” she declared, “I wanted to work with kids.” 

Ms. Gumbs knows that for her, working with young people is not a just a job, but a calling, and can’t imagine herself doing anything else. Our new principal also admits to feeling “a deep sense of fulfillment and purpose in nurturing and guiding young minds.”  This solidified her determination to become a principal, and have a positive impact on her students’ lives.

Additionally, our new principal wants us all to know how important we are to her, and that it warms her heart to be here at QPA. She’s aware that as soon as she “walks through the doors of the building” we’re in her hands, and it’s her responsibility to take care of us. Even so, as she sees it, her job doesn’t “feel like work,” and finds the school “a fun and creative space.” Moreover, she’s determined to do everything in her power to help every student be the best they can be as we keep moving forward. 

Ms. Gumbs finds joy in seeing students grow and succeed, and believes that her role goes beyond just being an administrator. She considers herself a mentor and a support system for students, guiding them academically, emotionally and personally whenever the need arises, a positive at this complicated time in students’ educational journey. In her personal time she enjoys taking walks and listening to music, which she finds relaxing. 

Meeting Our New Assistant Principal: A dedicated educator

This year, we also welcome Mr. Luis Amaya, a new assistant principal, to the QPA family. Mr. Amaya is a teaching enthusiast who has worked in the New York City public school system for  30 years. Born in El Salvador, Mr. Amaya moved to the United States with his brothers in search of a better life.   “I moved here at eight years old,” he said. Life in El Salvador was spent with his grandparents, then he moved to the US to live with his mom. He spent most of his life in Queens, and considered life to be “rough financially” as his mother was a single parent, but he stayed the course and was eventually able to realize his dreams of a better life. 

Though he attended medical school to become a psychiatrist, he fell in love with teaching and furthered his education to become an assistant principal. His love for teaching also inspired him to start his own high school in Far Rockaway, Queens and make a difference in the community. Mr. Amaya firmly believes one should never give up once they have their mind on something, even if the pathway to that goal has changed.

In this his 31st year within the Queens school system, Mr. Amaya takes great pleasure in his tenure at QPA. He appreciates the richness of diversity in a larger school where students have the opportunity to engage on a grander scale, particularly where sports are concerned. However, despite QPA’s relatively smaller size, he values it for being akin to “a small school within a larger facility.” He believes this model fosters interactions between QPA students and those from neighboring schools, enabling us to share sports teams and promote camaraderie.

AP Amaya believes that working with people who share the same goal is the key to success, and so far, he finds the teachers and other members of staff at QPA to be hardworking and interested in student growth. He admits this makes the environment a comfortable place in which he looks forward to working.  He enjoys exercising and playing sports, and his primary goal for the future is to complete his Doctorate Degree.

Welcoming Back Our OG Assistant Principal: Another year to shine

Mr. Craig Richardson,  QPA’s AP director, was born in Brooklyn, New York. The youngest of three boys, Mr. Richardson attests that, like many students in the New York City public school system, he was raised in an “interesting environment.” Although his parents neither smoked nor drank, they could “smell the drugs” being used when they went outdoors. There was also clear evidence of alcohol abuse all around them. To bypass the toxic environment, his parents insisted their sons focus on their studies and attend church regularly. This experience helps him empathize with many of his students who face many of the same challenges today.

Where his duties as assistant principal are concerned, Mr. Richardson says it “feels great to be back” for the new year. However, he admits there’s still a lot of work to be done, especially after the emotional trauma students have experienced in recent years.  Therefore, he’s committed to contributing his expertise and passion to support students now and in the future. Mr. Richardson has been a part of the  QPA family for 13 years, and remembers when students loved to stay in school at the end of the day to take part in different extra-curricular activities. He’s also enthusiastic about ensuring that part of our school culture returns to engage students and strengthen our school community. 

If he weren’t an educator, Mr. Richardson said that he would choose a career “in the world of sports.” His favorite quote, “Sometimes when you win, you actually lose, and sometimes when you lose, you actually win” speaks to the influence sports has had on his life. He knows that sports have taught him valuable life lessons about perseverance and resilience, and enjoys the thrill of competition and the camaraderie that comes with being part of a team. Additionally, despite his busy schedule as a director, he always finds time to engage in his favorite sports activities and stay connected to the sports world. As he sees it, success is not solely determined by winning or losing, but rather by the personal growth and lessons one learns along the way.

AP Richardson believes in the power of collaboration and the positive impact it can have on both individuals and the organization as a whole. He also admits that he’s enjoying working with the new administration, and that they’re committed to putting students first here at QPA. His goals for the future include improving his professional skills and doing more to inspire students of color to have access to the college experience.