Bristol County Agricultural High School's Administrative Team

Mr. Derek Costa

Mr. Derek Costa

Superintendent/Director

Mr. Costa is humbled to serve the students, faculty, staff and community at Bristol County Agricultural High School. He values that our campus is a center of historical agricultural traditions and that its principles are interwoven into the communities we serve in the Commonwealth. Mr. Costa grew up in Dartmouth, Ma and as a first generation student, Mr. Costa earned his Bachelors of Art and then his Masters of Education Administration at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Upon receiving his degrees, he worked first at UMass Lowell and then the UMass Dartmouth campus for 17 years as an administrator in the areas of student affairs and administration and finance. Mr. Costa and his wife Kristin are the parents of two very active children, Tyler and Meghan, who are both involved in various sports which include ice hockey, baseball and softball. Mr. Costa deeply cares for the region and has served the local area for many years as a youth baseball coach in Berkley, an assistant volunteer coach for the Somerset Berkley High School Baseball team, participation with the Berkley K-8 Strategic planning committee, and most recently will be assisting the Town of Berkley in the development of their Master Plan. Mr. Costa is excited to be a part of the Bristol County Agricultural High School and looks forward to supporting the campus.

Mr. Kevin P. Braga

Mr. Kevin P. Braga

Principal/Assistant Superintendent

Mr. Braga looks forward to working with the Bristol Aggie community for many years to come. Mr. Braga enjoys seeing students excel both in and out of the classroom. He served in the United States Navy honorably for four years. He received both his Bachelor and Master's degree from Bridgewater State University (College), where he received his Bachelor of Science in History, and his Master's degree in Educational Leadership. His professional experiences include being a mentor to inner-city youth in Brockton for ten years, teaching history in the classroom, working as an Assistant Principal, and as Principal for one school district prior to arriving at Bristol Aggie. On a personal level, Mr. Braga enjoys traveling with his wife as he has been to over 30 countries. He also is an avid runner, running a handful of road races each year and completed his first full marathon in 2016. He looks forward to working with the Bristol Aggie community.

Mrs. Samantha Stone

Mrs. Samantha Stone

Business Manager/Treasurer

Mrs. Stone brings a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm to her role as the School Business Manager at Bristol Aggie. With deep roots in the local community and a profound appreciation for the school's exceptional offerings, she is thrilled to contribute her talents to this remarkable educational institution. Holding a bachelor's degree in Communication Disorders from Bridgewater State University and a master's in business administration from Southern New Hampshire University, Mrs. Stone possesses a unique blend of academic knowledge and business expertise. Having transitioned from a finance career in a large healthcare company to the school system six years ago, she has since excelled in various pivotal roles, including grant management, special education budget management, and transportation coordination. Mrs. Stone's commitment to ensuring efficient operations and resource allocation in education is unwavering. In her personal time, she finds joy in cooking, gardening, and spending time with her wife, son, and two dogs. It is with utmost pride and gratitude that Mrs. Stone embraces the opportunity to be an integral part of the Bristol Aggie community, where she looks forward to making a positive impact and contributing to the collective success of students, faculty, and staff alike.

Mr. Tiago Vital

Tiago Vital

Director of Technology

Mr. Vital was born in Portugal and moved to the United States when he was 5 years old. Family is central to his life, and he loves spending time with his wife, their beautiful baby girl, and their beloved dog. In his free time, Tiago enjoys riding his bike, landscaping, and keeping busy with various activities. A 2015 graduate of the New England Institute of Technology, Tiago most recently served as the Director of Technology for Northbridge Public Schools, a role he held for over three years. He was drawn to Bristol Aggie by the positive things he had seen and heard, and when the opportunity arose to join the school’s community, he couldn’t pass it up.

Mr. Ryan Miranda

Mr. Ryan Miranda

Facilities Director

Mr. Miranda has deep roots in Bristol. His long standing relationships with the staff and students, as well as a thorough familiarity with the school's culture were developed not only by his employment here since 2011, but also from his personal student experience as one of the Natural Resource Management Graduates of the Class of ‘96. Along with himself, two of his siblings, and both of Ryan’s children have also passed through the doors of the school, making the “Aggie Education” a family tradition. His passion for building management comes from a lifetime of Commercial and Residential Construction, as well as 15 years in Construction and Building Management. After Bristol Aggie he went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in Theology. Ryan believes in work well done, and aids in the School’s stride for excellence. Mr. Miranda, his wife Jacci (also previously Aggie staff), and his family love the outdoors, spending their spare time in their home town of Westport at the beach, in the woods, EBiking around town or gardening on their property. He looks forward to his time keeping things running smoothly for the students and staff here at Bristol Aggie. 

Ms.Beth Sylvia

Ms. Beth Sylvia

Assistant Principal

Ms. Sylvia has been in education for over 2 decades and 13 of those years has been in the role of Assistant Principal. She has her undergraduate degree in Criminology from Saint Leo University in Florida. Ms. Sylvia also holds 2 masters degrees, in counseling psychology and education leadership from Cambridge College and Endicott College. Ms. Sylvia grew up in Taunton, adding a local connection to Bristol Aggie. Ms. Sylvia is passionate about working with teenagers. She loves contributing to their educational journey by turning a setback into a growth opportunity.  Ms. Sylvia is very proud of her Portuguese heritage and also brings farming roots from Kansas, enriching her respect for the importance of agricultural education. She is passionate about sharks, the beach and cruising on her Harley. What she loves most about Bristol Aggie is that she gets to combine her passion for working with teenagers and a deep love for animals. As she puts it, "I get the best of both worlds"! Ms. Sylvia loves being a part of the Bristol Aggie family.

Mrs. Ashley Fullen

Mrs. Ashley Fullen

Vocational Coordinator

I am both honored and excited to join the Bristol Aggie team as the first Vocational Director. Joining the "Ag'' has been a dream for quite some time now as "working the land" has always been a part of my life.. My grandfather, the biggest influence in my life, was an Acushnet native and dairy farmer, who later started his own construction company. Most of my values and work ethic have come from him. During high school I discovered, much like my grandfather, I thrived when working in a hands-on way. My first introduction to clay, my freshman year, led to every spare moment spent in the art department, creating, working and later pursuing a BFA degree at the U-Mass Dartmouth in Art Education with a concentration in ceramics. I studied clay & glaze formulation, firing techniques and how to build and operate kilns. My first "professional" role was working part-time as a paraprofessional at a special education school for students in grades 5-12, who had been impacted by severe trauma. I took some additional classes in special education and then took on a Special Education teaching role. I taught a variety of subjects including Math, Sciences, Art, Animal Husbandry and Gardening at this same school. I fell in love with the work of helping kids to regulate, build connections & develop competencies in order to overcome the challenges they faced, and become the very best versions of themselves. I then pursued a Masters in Educational Leadership at Bridgewater State University and was promoted to Director of Educational and Vocational Programming at Meadowridge Academy. I served 7 more years in that role for a total of 11. Also during this time, I married a young Landscape Construction entrepreneur and at the beginning of our relationship I spent much time helping him create his company, known as T-Scape Inc. Landscape Services, out of Dighton, which has been in operation for 21 years now. My husband and I have two amazing children Max (a BA student), and our pre-teen Maya. After my kids were born I shifted careers and spent 10 years serving as an Assistant Principal in the Dighton schools, a very rewarding role. Outside of my "day job" and in my "spare time" my husband and I live on and operate our family farm in Berkley. Our equine boarding "Full EnVision Farm", is a facility that is home to 23 horses (large and small), 8 goats, 5 alpacas and many chickens. All of the animals are used in the Equine/Animal Assisted Psychotherapy Counseling program (AVIV) who we share our land with. Aside from work and farm life, I enjoy researching how to live more sustainability and in balance. I also love spending time with my family snowboarding, hiking and mountain biking in Vermont, as well as sportfishing in the New England waters, whenever we can find the time and the weather cooperates. As a lifelong learner, I can't wait to learn everything and anything I can here at BA (so much to learn and explore), while at the same time I'm truly looking forward to discovering how I may be able to leverage and utilize my diverse background and skill set, in this position, to become the best resource I can be for our students and teachers.

Ms. Kellie Costa

Ms. Kellie Costa

Student Services Coordinator

Ms. Costa is beyond thrilled to continue at Bristol Aggie in a different role as Student Services Coordinator after being a school counselor here for over six years. She loves the supportive and compassionate nature of the school community and is consistently amazed by the talent and skill of both the faculty and students. Ms. Costa earned both her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Masters of Education in School Counseling from Bridgewater State University (College), go Bears! She enjoys seeing students in their element and always recommends the public to come to Fall Show each year to see a glimpse of the magic she gets to see each day. Previously, Ms. Costa worked in several roles at Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School and was able to see all aspects of how vocational education looks from multiple perspectives. She looks forward to blending some of what she has done to her new role and is looking forward to building connections that support families, students and staff.