Bunny Potts

Board of Ed Recognizes Two New Canaan High School Seniors, 13 Retiring Educators

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The Board of Education on Monday honored two graduating New Canaan High School seniors and 13 educators who are retiring after this academic year. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mary Kolek (who is herself retiring and earned kind words from Board Chair Hazel Hobbs during the meeting, held in the high school’s Wagner Room), spoke for a few minutes about both seniors who received Student Leadership Awards from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education or “CABE,” as well as the teachers and administrators soon to retire. Here’s a snippet from Kolek on each honoree. Students

(CABE each year recognizes two students for distinguished leadership in school activities and daily lives, “And I have the pleasure of presenting those awards tonight,” Kolek said.)

New Canaan High School senior Kit Mallozzi (also a NCHS Students Advocates Award winner, headed to Syracuse University in the fall): “One has only to talk to Kit for a few minutes and it’s clear, she’s one of the world’s great optimists. Her nomination submission portrays Kit as someone who embraces life, a friend to all and a ray of sunshine.

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Board of Ed Welcomes Kristine Woleck, East School Principal

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The Board of Education on Monday formally welcomed the new East School principal to that leadership role in the district. School officials appointed Kristine Woleck to the position one week ago, the same day Jan Murphy was named principal at West. Murphy was unable to attend the board meeting, held in New Canaan High School’s Wagner Room. There, retiring New Canaan Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Mary Kolek described Woleck as “an instructional leader of the highest caliber.”

“She joined the district in 2002 as a math specialist at South School, and after two years, we really recognize her talents and her contributions at the district level, and she was promoted to the district math coordinator at our elementary level, and she served as our district math coordinator from 2004 to 2011,” Kolek said. “During that time, Kris certainly took a leadership role in terms of looking at how to develop and implement high-quality curriculum, instruction and assessments in professional development.

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New Canaan High School Principal Dr. Bryan Luizzi Named Interim Superintendent

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Less than two months after designating itself as a search committee to find a successor to New Canaan Public Schools’ retiring superintendent, the Board of Education on Tuesday said high school Principal Dr. Bryan Luizzi has been appointed to the position on an interim basis. The Brookfield resident has worked at New Canaan High School principal since 2011. In a press release, school board Chairman Hazel Hobbs said Luizzi will build on what current Superintendent Dr. Mary Kolek and the school district have created. “We are excited to have an interim superintendent who can lead our high-performing school district in the continuous pursuit of excellence,” Hobbs said. “Dr. Luizzi is an experienced leader with the skills and passion required to lead the district.”

Luizzi said in the release that he was “honored” to be given the opportunity and said he would collaborate with the “school board, community, administrators, and staff to ensure a productive and successful school year.”

“I am very grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to the great work that the New Canaan Public Schools will continue to accomplish going forward,” Luizzi said.

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School Board Bridles at State-Mandated ‘Regional Uniform Calendar’

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Bucking a state-mandated “regional uniform school calendar” that doesn’t mesh with what New Canaanites long have practiced in terms of start and end dates to the school year, or vacations, the Board of Education is postponing the adoption of an academic calendar for 2014-15. Part of the reason for that is to see what happens with a bill now under review in Hartford that would delay implementation of the “Uniform Regional School Calendar” until 2106-17. Originally developed as a cost-saving measure for more sparsely populated regions in Connecticut, the notion of a uniform school calendar became law in a mammoth budget bill that passed last year (it’s 500 pages long, the section that deals with this can be found on page 423.) No member of the New Canaan delegation to the Connecticut General Assembly voted in favor of it. Part of the law requires “a uniform start date” and “not more than three uniform school vacation periods during each school year, not more than two of which shall be a one week school vacation period and one of which shall be during the summer.”

New Canaanites long have had a week during Christmas, then February and finally, April. Here’s what New Canaan’s academic calendar would look like if the town is left to its own devices for 2015-16 (this is a draft developed by the public schools largely as a basis of comparison), for example, versus this, a sample of what the regional School Calendar could be.

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New Canaan School Board To Start Search for New Superintendent

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The Board of Education on Monday formally accepted Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mary Kolek’s resignation, effective June 30, and appointed itself as a search committee for her successor. Chair Hazel Hobbs noted during a short meeting—held in New Canaan High School’s library—that seven current school board members had been serving during the prior search, following Dr. David Abbey’s departure, including five on the prior search committee itself. “This is a short timeframe for us, but this is a very experienced and thoughtful and caring Board of Education, so I am sure the search is going to be a sincere one, well thought out and carefully done,” Hobbs said. The bulk of the meeting saw board members express gratitude and admiration for Kolek, who last Tuesday announced her retirement. In an interview with NewCanaanite.com that day, the superintendent had spotlighted close collaboration with parents and the town, as well as important programs recently introduced, such as full-day kindergarten, World Languages and an evolution of the curriculum.