The Hive Welcomes Dynamic Duo Mr. Fathalla and Ms. Sivaprakash as New APs

Principal Quinlan and Mr. Fathalla at Senior Sunrise. *Photo: Francis Lindaman*

By AMELIA CRAWFORD

Every year, Midwood welcomes not only new students but also new faculty to the Hive. Among those to fly in this year were two new assistant principals: Mr. Samir Fathalla, the AP of Safety, Security, and Climate, and Ms. Deepa Sivaprakash, the AP of Math and Computer Science. Part of their job is getting to know us, but why not take the time to learn a bit about them as well?

Mr. Fathalla, who oversees the deans, began his path at Kingsborough Community College, where he spent his first two years post-high school and earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice. He later spent a semester at John Jay College of Criminal Justice before moving to Brooklyn College to earn three degrees.

After watching Law & Order and Criminal Minds growing up, Mr. Fathalla at first wanted to become a homicide detective, but over the course of his studies he instead turned to teaching.

Before becoming an assistant principal, Mr. Fathalla spent seven years as a special education teacher at Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School (which he attended himself as a student), teaching science and being a cafeteria coordinator. One of things he noticed when he arrived at Midwood, he said, was how enthusiastic about classes and after school programs the students are here.

Outside of his office, Mr. Fathalla is quite the adventurer. He traveled a lot in his early 20s, visiting Egypt, Spain, Mexico, and Las Vegas. However, the one place he finds himself going back to the most is Cancun, Mexico.

“The beaches are beautiful, and I can just relax for a week,” he said. “That’s my true definition of a vacation. I don’t like doing the touristy stuff like ‘go look at a building that was there for 300 years.’ I’m good on that.”

As for his hobbies, he enjoys playing chess, collecting baseball and football cards – his favorite team is the Mets – and maintaining his impressive shoe collection, with over 100 pairs of Air Jordans and Nikes.

His advice to students is to just be yourself. “I’ve always struggled with trying to fit into a mold,” he said. “So I never wanted my career to be something where I had to pretend to be someone I’m not. Be yourself and the right people will gravitate towards you.”

Buzzing your wings to the second floor, you’ll find Ms. Sivaprakash, who worked alongside Mr. Fathalla at FDR, though neither knew they had both been hired at Midwood until they arrived in September. Ms. Sivaprakash praised the warm atmosphere of the school, saying that “everyone is so supportive and nice.”

“I could tell right away that it was all positive feelings and interactions here,” she said. “There’s always someone I can speak to if I need any support or help.”

Previously, Ms. Sivaprakash taught math for ten years, everything from Algebra I to AP Calculus AB.

As a student, math was also Ms. Sivaprakash’s best subject, though she said she could at times be “too diligent” when it came to being focused on getting her schoolwork done early, and that if she could go back, she would branch out more when it came to extracurriculars.

Ms. Sivaprakash completed her undergraduate degree at the College of Staten Island, where she double majored in mathematics and computer science. At one point, she was considering a career in engineering, but she decided to go for a master’s degree in math education from Hunter College.

“You may not know what you want to do at the start, or you may feel that you have a certain path, but sometimes your experiences teach you that, ‘Ok, this might not be where I want to be, let me try a different way,’” she said.

Her first teaching experience involved an Algebra I class where the students, who were of all different grades and skill levels, were struggling with passing the Regents.

Despite the challenge, “it was really rewarding,” said Ms. Sivaprakash. “I was able to connect with them and we were able to figure out a plan for each of them to succeed.”

A few fun facts: Ms. Sivaprakash dislikes the color orange, speaks Malayalam (a south Indian language), has an odd allergy to movie-style popcorn, and enjoys reading mystery novels, thrillers, or “anything that keeps me at the edge of my seat,” she said. In terms of classics, she recommended East of Eden by John Steinbeck, a favorite of hers.

Like Mr. Fathalla, Ms. Sivaprakash is a baseball enthusiast, but on the other end of the spectrum. “It’s gonna hurt some people,” she said, “but I’m a Yankees fan. I’m a classy Yankees fan, though.”

As the school year progresses, these two new APs will have a greater opportunity to leave a lasting mark. It’s the start of a new chapter for them and for the school, and time will tell what stories fill those pages.