ACHS Principal Mr. Gregory Pigeon was named the High School Principal of the Year in Region 12 by the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS). He was honored at the SAANYS Region 12 awards dinner on May 11.

Born and raised in Western New York, Mr. Pigeon has been at Amherst Central High School for 16 years. He began as assistant principal in 2007 and was appointed principal in the spring of 2008.

He prides himself on focusing on the balance of educating the whole child and believes in a strong emphasis on a positive and robust school culture where student interests are celebrated. He strives to support expansion of the arts, extracurriculars, and special events at ACHS, in addition to the strong focus on academics.

Mr. Pigeon believes that it is our duty as educators to look out for the underserved. A focus on students who need a unique approach to education to be successful, as much as to support the potential of those who are already well on their way or excelling. He is a strong advocate the value of a collaborative process where the perspectives of teachers, parents, and students, as well as community stakeholders, become involved in our school and programs.

During his time in education, he has navigated many major shifts in public education including The Regents Action Plan, Common Core Learning Standards, APPR roll-out and the Covid 19 pandemic all while maintaining the tradition of ACHS as a top area high school where diversity is celebrated as an asset and opportunity for a richer educational experience. Even after 16 years in the chair, Mr. Pigeon’s dedication to ACHS and ACSD remains as strong as ever. He is an unwavering example of putting students first and investing in the future of our community.

He earned his associate degree from ECC, a bachelor’s degree from Buffalo State College and two master’s degrees, from Buffalo State and Canisius College respectively. He began his career in education with the Buffalo Public School system and worked there for many years, first as a teenager in the maintenance department, then as a substitute teacher, and as a business and computer technology at Riverside High School. He concluded his teaching roles with BPS as a program liaison working with HSBC and BPS for Project Jump Start. This innovative public / private partnership trained students in computers, technology and the banking industry, leading them to a one-year internships and in many cases, employment. In Buffalo, Mr. Pigeon moved into administrative roles as Assistant Principal and Principal at Lafayette High School. He also was an Assistant Principal at Erie 1 BOCES Harkness Career and Technical Center. While establishing his career in education, he also operated multiple Play-It-Again Sports franchises in WNY and Erie, PA.