New principal brings coaching mentality to Laconia Middle

LACONIA — Laconia Middle School has a new leader at the helm, with Daniel Wyborney making the move to principal after serving as assistant principal for Southside Middle School, in Manchester, the last three years.

Wyborney is going into his 26th year in education, starting as a physical education instructor before making the move to administrative work.

He was born and raised in Iowa, and went to high school in Erie, Pennsylvania. Wyborney graduated from Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Massachusetts, where he received his undergraduate degree in kinesiology, and a physical education certification.

He then moved to Amherst, where he lives now. He has three of his own children, and two stepchildren, ranging from sixth grade to college age.

Wyborney also coaches the women’s soccer team at New England College, and has been coaching for more than a quarter-century. He started teaching, in Manchester, in 2000, where he had the opportunity to coach the freshman girls’ soccer team, and he’s been coaching varying levels of soccer since.

“My hobby’s always been coaching, coaching different sports, but mostly soccer,” Wyborney said. “I’ve been involved with soccer at the U.S. National Team level all the way down through the youth level up to now, the collegiate rankings for the last 10 years.”

Wyborney once worked summers at Hampshire Hills, a fitness club in Milford, and helped the owner design an indoor sports center called the Hampshire Dome. He managed the dome for six years, then went back into teaching phys ed in the Nashua School District for seven years.

“That’s when I got into my admin work, started dabbling into helping out when they needed coverage because someone was out,” Wyborney said. “Someone was out for medical for long-term, and I covered the high school there.”

At the time, Wyborney was earning his master’s degree in sports management, which he finished while teaching in Nashua. His original pathway was to be an athletic director, which he was for Souhegan High School for two years, but he admitted he didn’t enjoy it, because there wasn’t enough connection with students.

“I didn’t get to work with kids the way I wanted to work with kids, and that’s where my passion is, in the classroom and being able to help them grow and help staff grow,” Wyborney said. “That’s kind of what brought me to where I am now.”

Connecting with the school community

Wyborney was assistant principal at Southside Middle School for three years, where he had a focus on student services and operations. He was hired as Laconia Middle School principal on July 1.

He takes over for Aaron Hayward, who informed the district in March he was resigning from the role June 30, according to Superintendent Amy Hinds. Hayward had served as middle school principal since 2023.

Wyborney said Laconia was in the back of his mind for some time, and he knew the area well, because he used to keep his boat at Fay’s Marina in neighboring Gilford.

“The vibe of the area — we came up a lot in the summers,” Wyborney said. “We go to Steele Hill quite a bit in Sanbornton. So, very familiar with the area.”

Wyborney said he had always heard positives about the Laconia School District from people in Manchester, who frequented the area. Making the leap to principal was always on his mind.

“It was almost one of those things where it was meant to be,” Wyborney said. “It kept popping up on my radar, and it was like something telling me I needed to take a peek at it. I came up for the interview, and just really enjoyed the place, the people over there, and it has been nothing but extreme positives since then.”

Wyborney is about a month into the school year and said he loves the new role, getting to know the students, and working with teachers and staff.

“From the kitchen staff, the custodians, to our paraprofessionals, our case managers in special ed, our regular ed teachers, our exploratory, everybody is focused on students,” he said. “That’s hard to find sometimes in education, being able to find a full group that is committed to that mindset.”

With plenty of coaches in the building, Wyborney said they have a common approach. There are staff members who coach both middle and high school sports, something to which he can relate well.

“So, my leadership style of that coaching mentality, of being able to lead with purpose, and lead with ideas that are based around growth,” Wyborney said. “What can I do to step aside you and help you, not speak down to you and demand, but more of what can we do to make this team even stronger?”

Meeting the students has been a pleasure, as well, saying it's fun to put the names to the face, and say 'hello' in the hallways. He makes sure he is in front of the school each morning, greeting students as they walk into the building.

“I think that’s important to set that tone for the day for them,” Wyborney said. “They see a smiling face welcoming them in, they’re ready to go. Learning their names, being able to call them by name, saying 'hi' to the parents, all those little pieces that create comfort.”

Laconia Middle School recently held an open house, which he said had a great turnout, and was a perfect chance for him to connect with parents.

“Just being able to connect and talk to them, and seeing them engaging in their child’s education is awesome.”

When talking to parents, he said the No. 1 priority is safety. This is an area he always has in the forefront of his mind, saying they need a safe place to learn and grow. The school recently had a fire drill, and he communicated with the parents immediately after about how it went.

“Just that communication piece goes a long way,” he said. “I want them to be able to come in, and have a conversation if they need to. I want them to understand that we’re in this together.”

Leading a middle school

Wyborney has experience with middle grade students as an assistant principal, and knows this is a unique spot, where sixth through eighth grade students are growing up toward who they will become.

“The middle school level is nice, because it’s really starting for them to figure out their identity of what they want to do, or who they want to be as a person.”

Wyborney praised the Portrait of a Graduate program, saying this will set students up for high school and beyond. He said it’s an excellent tool to use to keep the focus around where the district is heading as a whole.

“I think increasing the graduation rate really starts with us here at the middle school level, of being able to figure out how we get kids hooked,” he said. “How do we get them into the school's setting, where they want to be here, so they understand they can have fun, can still learn, and can be productive?”

He also touched on the emotional development of children that age, and a focus on guiding them to make the right choices.

“There is an academic importance, and the need to create good habits now,” Wyborney said. “Even habits about their homework or their work ethic and what they’re doing in class that can carry them through their next phase of life, too.”

Wyborney runs on the philosophy of being as engaged as possible, saying he wants to “be in the trenches” with the teachers. The administrative team meets in the mornings throughout the week to touch base, but from there, he makes the rounds, popping into the classrooms to check out what they are doing.

He said this isn’t out of concern, but he wants to provide the encouragement and positive feedback to the staff that he says does such a great job every day.

“It’s important to give that feedback when they’re doing a great job,” Wyborney said. “I could be like, 'Let’s keep that going.' Or I might see something and say, 'You know what? That’s a great lesson. Let’s share that with the sixth grade.' Maybe that could utilize that, as well.”

Wyborney said having a cohesive and collaborative building where the students and staff connect is a priority of his.

“It’s not just the teachers that teach you,” Wyborney said. “It’s the whole building that teaches you. From the minute you come in here, to the minute you leave, there is a connection with everybody in the building."

Sachem Pride

Wyborney loves the school spirit exhibited throughout the district. This doesn’t just mean athletics, but for students to have a drive to succeed, at whatever they enjoy.

“The pride of being a Sachem, the pride of being in the building and being connected to something, that’s what we want,” he said. “We want every single kid to come in this building, and they don’t have to be an athlete or play an instrument. They don’t have to be an artist. Whatever it is, we want them to find a purpose that they can connect with something in the building. Being open minded to that. That’s the pride.”

He said there are new teachers, and teachers who have been there for decades. His goal is to use his passion and energy to amp everyone up to teach students. On the first day of school, he called the faculty into the media center.

“I said, ‘Everybody put your hand in,’” Wyborney said. “'We’re going to say Sachems on three. We’re in this together. We’re going to rock this year. We’re going to do a great job.'

"A couple people came up after, and were like, ‘I never played for a sports team, and that was exciting.’ It got us energized. That’s my goal.”