Andre Hauser chosen as new Coginchaug principal
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Friday, June 18, 2010 - 2:15pm
The Board of Education officially welcomed and congratulated Andre Hauser, the newly-appointed principal of CRHS, during their June 9 regular meeting held at the Memorial Middle School library. The process of selecting a new principal started several months ago with over 25 applicants. Four focus groups were involved in the selection process and spent numerous hours analyzing credentials and reviewing resumes.
“We interviewed six candidates for lengthy in-depth interviews and Andre was chosen as the final candidate,” explained BOE member Kerrie Flanagan.
“Andre is the most articulate, poised and imaginative person I can think of to fill this position,” commented board member Norman Hicks. The board also wanted to be sure to formally thank the 11 members for their hard work and diligence in nominating Hauser for the role.
End-of-year highlights
During the meeting, a few of the board members communicated various noteworthy events, including commending the CRHS girls’ softball team on a wonderful season and congratulating the Memorial School band and chorus on an enthusiastic performance at Coginchaug. In addition they spoke of the effectiveness and impact the mock car crash at Coginchaug had on the high school students. The kids were mesmerized,” commented Hicks. “I was blown away.”
Brewster playground project
Brewster Elementary School principal Nancy Heckler was joined by PTA members Karen Buckley-Bates and Cathy Debrum to present blueprint images for the new playground to be installed at Brewster School. They will be breaking ground around the middle of July. The build will begin on July 23, and with 35 to 40 people onsite, the playground is projected to only take three days to be completely installed. About $55,000 towards the playground’s cost was the result of fundraising efforts of the PTA and the remaining $66,000 is coming from ARRA funds.
“After some time, we finally met our [financial] goal,” Heckler stated. “We are planning on having a preschool playground in addition to the playground for 5-12 year olds,” explained Heckler. “Since it will be the only playground in the town of Durham appropriate for two- to five-year-olds, we are promoting it for community use.” Since this project has been labeled a “community build,” the state of Connecticut judicial branch has agreed to dedicate 30 workers each day from their alternative incarceration program. To reduce risk of students injuring themselves, summer school students at Brewster will not be allowed on that area of the playground beginning July 12, and summer school will be cancelled on Friday, July 23. Board member Debbie Golschneider asked if the committee had thought about how to secure the site and equipment, both during the build and after completion. The BOE members discussed the possibility of having security cameras installed to reduce the risk of equipment being stolen or vandalized.
Superintendent’s report
During her report, District 13 Superintendent Susan Viccaro was pleased to announce that, unlike past years, more students decided to stay for the entire prom, rather than leave early. “I feel this might have been a direct correlation to the timing of the mock crash,” Viccaro stated. “Also, Steve [Wysowski, CRHS principal] calls the parents of every student who is a guest at the prom and talks to the parents. If he doesn’t speak to the parents of those students, they are not allowed to attend the prom.”
Viccaro described a presentation on internet safety given by four CRHS students to the student body at Strong. The state police received a grant to train four high school students on how to use the internet safely and how to present these ideas to younger children. After completing their training with the police, they shared what they learned with the seventh and eighth graders at Strong School “It makes it even more effective, because it was students taking to other students, so the kids were more receptive to it,” said Viccaro.
Public comment
During the public comment session, Durham resident Donia Viola asked about monies that were under-expended through other building projects at Brewster, Strong and CRHS. She asked the board to provide the total under-expenditure amount and how much will be transferable to the John Lyman school projects. In response, Hennick stated that they [board] “won’t be answering those questions tonight.”
“Well that’s another issue. We never have a discussion about the issues raised. Questions are asked, but they never are answered in a discussion,” explained Viola. “They are left as public comment and never addressed during a discussion.”
The next Board of Education meeting is set for July 1 at 6 p.m. at CRHS. The meeting will be held for the sole purpose of electing officers, with no other items being included on the agenda.
