Administrator's Page

Sibyl Brooks - Principal

Sibyl Dawn Brooks is the Principal of Toquam Magnet Elementary School. Most recently, Brooks was employed in Danbury Public Schools as the assistant principal at Westside Middle School Academy for two years and assistant principal at Broadview Middle School for three years. She also served as interim principal for the district’s Hayestown Elementary School for one year.

Her more than 20-year educational career also includes the roles of assistant principal at Connecticut Technical High School and Wilbur Cross Elementary School in Bridgeport. Brooks has also held teaching and administrative roles in Bloomfield and Hartford.

Brooks holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Albertus Magnus College in New Haven. She also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Middle School Mathematics and Science, as well as a Sixth Year School Administrator Certification, and a pending Superintendent Certification from Southern Connecticut State University.

Brooks has two young adult children and two grandchildren who she spends most of her time as their personal “Uber” driver taking them to their football and basketball practices. She comes from a family of educators, so early on she knew that she wanted to impact children and families, as well as become a role model for black and brown children.

Brooks is passionate and dedicated to teaching and learning. She works tirelessly to ensure staff and students are safe, respectful and responsible. She hold herself accountable to all stakeholders and believes that together we can address areas for improvement in order to close the achievement gap.

Cynthia Manifold Dougherty - Assistant Principal

Cynthia Manifold-Dougherty excitedly joins our Toquam Elementary Magnet School community as our Assistant Principal. She has more than 25 years of experience in education, serving first as an Kindergarten Instructional Paraeducator, K-2 Reading Interventionist, Special Education Teacher, EL Teacher, and Classroom Teacher (Kindergarten, Grade 3, Grade 4, and Grade 5) from 2003 through 2015. She joined Stamford Public Schools as Curriculum Associate for Professional Development (English Learners) in 2015 and was promoted to Coordinator of Professional Development in 2018. She was the district’s Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (Elementary) from 2020 to 2024 and was the Assistant Director at APPLES PreK in 2024-25. Ms. Manifold-Doughtery earned a Bachelors in Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism and Post Baccalaureate Certification from the University of New Orleans, Masters in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Southern Connecticut State University, and a certificate in Educational Leadership from Sacred Heart University. She is certified in K-6 Elementary Education (CT 013), Adult Education Teaching Non-English Speaking Adults (CT 088), PreK-12 Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CT 011) and Intermediate Administration or Supervision (CT 092).

Amy Ofiero - Assistant Principal for Special Education

Amy Ofiero has more than 25 years of experience in special education as a classroom and IEP compliance teacher. She began her career with SPS teaching PreK-K students with Autism in a self-contained classroom at K.T. Murphy Elementary School, later moving to Ox Ridge Elementary School in Darien to teach K-5 students with Autism and Low Incidence Disorders in a self-contained classroom. She returned to Stamford as a special education teacher in both an inclusive preschool setting and in a self-contained ASD classroom at Roxbury Elementary School from 2006 to 2016. Since 2016, she has been an IEP Compliance Teacher for Stamford Public Schools. She earned a Bachelor of Science in special education PreK-12 and a Master of Science in Special Education from Southern Connecticut State University and a Sixth Year Certificate in Educational Leadership from Central Connecticut State University. She has professional certifications in PreK-Grade 12 Comprehensive Special Education (CT 165) and K-12 Intermediate Administration or Supervision (CT 092).