Jill Kelly, of Carle Place, makes her school a leadership hub

Jill Kelly is one teacher who proves you can go home again.

Now a high school Spanish teacher at Carle Place Middle/High School for the past 10 years, Kelly attended district schools from second grade on when her family moved from Flushing. She graduated from Carle Place in 2010.

As they say around town, Kelly’s a real “Frog,” the nickname for the school’s sports teams.

“I’m teaching my friends’ kids,” said Kelly, 33, who lives in Huntington. “I’m teaching my colleagues’ kids. It’s a special kind of place.”

Students gravitate to Kelly because she’s so approachable, according to Carle Place Middle/High School Principal Allen Foraker.

“She always makes time for her students,” Foraker said.

As a teacher, Kelly, who holds a doctorate in transformational leadership from Long Island University, is creating the kinds of leadership opportunities for students that helped shape her.

As a student, Kelly was active in a host of extracurricular activities, including editing the yearbook her junior and senior years.

She distinguished herself as a hard worker who paid attention to detail, said Rosa Perifimos, who was the yearbook adviser and Kelly’s Spanish teacher.

Kelly was also elected class president from eighth grade through 11th grade.

But the one election Kelly lost turned out to be the most valuable, she said.

Near the end of her junior year, Kelly ran for president of the Student Organization, which represents pupils in grades seven through 12.

Losing was “devastating,” Kelly remembered.

It was one of Kelly’s teachers, Maddalena Buffalino, who helped her rebound.

As senior class adviser, Buffalino created a role for Kelly as class representative.

Kelly said being given a role “let me find my voice.”

For Kelly, teaching doesn’t stop when the school day ends.

“She’s very big on lessons that go beyond the classroom,” said English teacher Samuel Plotkin, a friend and colleague for 10 years.

Kelly organized an eight-day service trip last February for 10 seniors to volunteer at a school in Guatemala. She and Plotkin chaperoned the students, who built sanitation stations at the school.

Jimmy Coronel, whose daughter Luna went on the trip, said it was a bonding experience for the Carle Place students.

“When they came back, they were all really tight,” he said.

Kelly’s interest in organizing the trip to Guatemala stems from her interest in travel. She’s been to 45 countries so far, with a trip to Uganda up next. 

Kelly is also adviser to the Student Organization at Carle Place and director of student activities.

In 2023, she launched the Carle Place Leadership Symposium, which each year brings together hundreds of student leaders from across Long Island to share ideas on how to improve the student experienc.