Administration
April Adams
Principal
April Adams proudly serves as Principal of Quitman Street School, bringing twenty-six years of experience in education and a deep commitment to student achievement, school leadership, and community engagement.
A proud alumna of a Historically Black College and University, Ms. Adams earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She also holds a Master of Arts in Educational Administration from Saint Peter’s College in New Jersey.
Ms. Adams began her teaching career in Newark, serving students in the Central and West Wards. Throughout her career, she has held several instructional and leadership roles, including substitute teacher, classroom teacher, teacher coach, supervisor and special assistant for the East Central Ward School Leadership Team.
Before joining Quitman Street School as Principal, Ms. Adams served as Vice Principal at Wilson Avenue School. She is honored to lead the Quitman Street School community and remains dedicated to supporting students, families, and staff in achieving excellence.
Lidia Dos Santos
Vice Principal
Lidia Dos Santos is proud to be a Vice Principal at Quitman Street School. Born and raised in the great city of Newark, and having attended Newark Public Schools as a student, Ms. Dos Santos went on to pursue her education at Rutgers University, where she earned a double major in Education and Psychology. After earning her Bachelor’s degree, she worked for a non-profit organization focusing on building Family Literacy among underrepresented populations. Through this opportunity, she became an adjunct professor at Rutgers University. Ms. Dos Santos found these experiences extremely fulfilling, especially as a native Newarker, for they allowed her to better serve the city’s diverse population in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, solidifying the strong ties to the immigrant community in which she lived.
A part of her work with the non-profit included working collaboratively to build extended day and summer programs for school-aged children. The close relationships she developed there led her to her true calling of becoming an educator. Ms. Dos Santos started as an elementary school teacher with the Newark Public Schools in 2007 at Maple Avenue School, and, in her tenure, she has worked in a variety of grade levels as an English Language Arts teacher. She has also served in the district as an Academic Interventionist at Newark Early College High School and School Operations Manager at West Side High School. Having earned her Master's degree in Educational Administration from Montclair State University, Ms. Dos Santos transitioned into the role of a Vice Principal at Barringer High School, gaining the experience to help her transition to her current role at Quitman Street School.
In all her years of working in education, Ms. Dos Santos sought to build school communities where compassion meets the needs of the students served. She believes that children are better equipped when the school and family work collaboratively to support individual growth and that, as a school, there is a special responsibility to tap into the innate potential possessed by all students.
Shevon Armstrong
Vice Principal
Ms. Shevon Armstrong, a native of Brooklyn, NY and a graduate of Lincoln University, PA, has a record of demonstrated leadership and commitment to service. Ms. Armstrong has humbly served the students of Newark for over 20 years as a special education and general education classroom teacher (Gr. 1-8), Crisis teacher (Gr. K-8), Academic Interventionist (Math) (Gr. K-8), School Culture and Climate Lead Teacher, mentor for the district’s New Teacher Center (NTC) development program, member of the School Leadership Team, and coach. With a dual degree in Elementary and Special Education and a Master’s Degree in Special Education, she has taught children with ADD/ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s syndrome, speech impairments/ communication disorders, noncompliant behavior, learning disabilities, physical and medical challenges and children with ELL (English Language Learner) needs. Ms. Armstrong has dedicated her career to ensuring that students, regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, disability, or economic background, are afforded an opportunity to learn and succeed in the classroom.
In using her second Master’s Degree in Educational Administration, Ms. Armstrong looks forward to having a more significant impact on students in her position as a Vice Principal at Quitman Street School. Her passion drives a paradigm shift toward student-centered education, where every child feels seen and heard. She empowers everyone to guide students in discovering their unique talents, passions, and purpose. Through her relentless advocacy for all students and their families, she serves as a resource to enable parents to help their children.
In her new role as Vice Principal, Ms. Armstrong will lead the Middle School Grades 6-8 and oversee Special Education and School Climate & Culture. She is prepared to use her talent for organization, relationship building, and coaching to create a culture of high academic and behavioral expectations while emphasizing a joy for learning and commitment to the team. Ms. Armstrong will be actively involved and work closely with students, teachers, parents, and the school community to support the whole child, improve the academic achievement and behavior of all students, and provide leadership to classroom teachers in implementing intervention initiatives. She is honored to take on the role of Vice Principal at Quitman Street School, where for almost a decade she has remained actively involved, passionate, and committed to supporting the needs of teachers and families to ensure that all students can succeed.
“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it” ~Marian Wright Edelman