For Kassie Pierinelli, there have always been signs pointing her toward a career in education, and specifically to Stepping Stones School.

Long before she became Principal of Stepping Stones, Kassie was the little girl playing school in her basement, armed with a chalkboard and old workbooks her teachers had given away at the end of the year. Her younger brother was often her student, willing or otherwise. “I think I was just a teacher at heart,” she says

Growing up in New Jersey, Kassie regularly worked with children, including teaching dance. In high school, another experience quietly planted a seed for where her career would eventually lead. As a member of Paper Mill Playhouse’s children’s theater program, she performed at schools throughout the area, including schools serving children with special needs. At the time, Kassie didn’t think of it as preparation for a career in special education. Looking back, she sees it differently. “I remember seeing their faces light up and doing the meet-and-greets afterward,” she says. “I loved that piece of it. It made a big impact on me.”

As a student at Seton Hall University, Kassie knew she wanted to become a teacher, but special education wasn’t necessarily part of the plan. She studied education as well as vocal performance, with her teacher preparation program providing exposure to special education along the way. After graduation, an opportunity to work in special education “fell into my lap,” Kassie says. She already had the certification, so she decided to give it a try.

She loved it.

Over the years, Kassie worked in several areas of special education, including integrated preschool and resource room settings. As her career progressed, she found herself drawn to working with students with more significant support needs, and to the opportunity to advocate not only for students, but for their families. That realization eventually brought her to The Arc of Essex County, where she joined Stepping Stones as a teacher.

Almost immediately, Kassie recognized that there was something different about the school. “The Arc felt like it fulfilled how I wanted to reach out to more than just the student,” she says. “It really truly is a family-oriented program. You’re helping the child, but you’re also helping the family advocate for their child and continue interventions at home. That partnership was so apparent to me.”

Stepping Stones would become Kassie’s final teaching position before she pursued her next goal: school administration. Knowing she wanted to remain in special education, she ultimately had to leave a place that had become incredibly meaningful to her in order to gain leadership experience elsewhere. But even as she left, Kassie had a feeling she wasn’t finished with Stepping Stones.

“I always said in my head, ‘If there was ever an opportunity for me to be principal at Stepping Stones…’” she recalls. “I knew there was something special there. I just kind of dropped that out into the universe and went on my merry way.”

She accepted her first principal position and gained the administrative experience she had been seeking. Then the opportunity she had imagined became a reality. Kassie returned to Stepping Stones, this time as its principal.

Her experience in the classroom continues to shape the way she leads today. Kassie understands firsthand the work being done each day by Stepping Stones teachers, therapists, and teaching assistants. She knows the challenges, the small victories, and the importance of keeping students at the center of every decision. “There’s a relatability factor because I was boots on the ground as a teacher here,” she says.

She also brings something else from her earliest days to her work at Stepping Stones: music. Kassie continues to perform professionally as a vocalist, including singing at churches, and music was always a natural part of her classroom.

“Music is a universal language, especially with our special needs kids,” she says. “If I needed to connect with a student or help them calm down, I might say, ‘Let’s make a little song out of it.’ It was something that came naturally to me.”

In many ways, Kassie’s journey has come full circle. The little girl who played teacher became one. The teenager who performed for students with disabilities built a career supporting them. The musician still carries music into her work as a way to connect to her students. And the Stepping Stones teacher who quietly hoped she might someday return to lead the school did exactly that. She has no doubt she is where she is supposed to be.

“I really feel like everything happened for a reason,” she says. “The seed was planted. Stepping Stones was such an integral part of my career as a teacher, and now I’ve come back as a principal and a leader. I feel so fulfilled and so grounded in the work that we do.”