By Nicole Falco
Darren Gruen joined the district as principal of James A. Dever Elementary School in January 2002. He replaced Dr. Kathleen Bannon. Bannon was hired after longtime Dever Principal Dr. Galen Guberman retired but Bannon resigned from Dever after only one year to accept a position at her former school district. In June, longtime Willow Road School Principal Howard Mankes retired and has since been replaced by Stephanie Capozzoli. Howell Road School Principal Barbara Ashby announced her resignation in order to find a job closer to home; she has since been replaced by Frank Huplosky.
Further adding to those changes was the unexpected early retirement of Wheeler Avenue School's Principal Mary Ann Fithian. Fithian regrettably announced her retirement, which is official on Oct. 16, due to medical reasons. Fithian, who would have begun her seventh year in the district, is still recuperating from a serious automobile accident that happened June 6. Mankes was asked to return to the district as Wheeler's interim principal until another interim replacement can be found. The district will begin placing advertisements for a new, permanent principal for the Wheeler Avenue School in December when there is a larger candidate pool, according to Superintendent of Schools Margaret Daugherty.
Calling this a "time of transition," Daugherty said the district looks for leaders who have spirit, are dedicated to the children and committed to the district. The district poured through over 100 applicants before choosing Howell's and Willow's new principals.
"We are happy and fortunate with the leaders we were able to get," Daugherty said. "Both [Capozzoli and Huplosky] are exceptional educators in that they are very student centered."
Both Capozzoli and Huplosky expressed their desire to be a part of the District 13 "family" for a longtime, something Gruen also expressed when he came to the district last winter.
"I am a firm believer that we can only succeed if we work together to get the best possible education for District 13," Gruen said at the time. "I think this is a place I feel I can call my home and that is exactly what I was looking for."
Huplosky is a homegrown choice to head Howell. He began his teaching career as a sixth-grade science teacher at Howell and has repeatedly demonstrated his dedication to the district, according to Daugherty.
"He was a highly respected teacher and always gave 1,000 percent to the children in the school and the District," Daugherty said.
In addition to teaching, Huplosky worked as a staff developer for science and technology for the past two years and acted as the district's summer school principal.
"I made it a goal to try and learn every position and be anywhere I could possibly be to get involved in the district," Huplosky said.
As a teen, Huplosky, who earned a master's degree in administration, volunteered in elementary school classrooms in Oceanside where he grew up. His mother was a classroom aid.
"It is really important to have a global vision, not just what is going on in your building or your district," he said.
One of Huplosky's goals as principal of Howell is to be out of his office as much as possible.
"A principal leads from the hallway, working with teachers and working with students to truly have a sense of what is going on," Huplosky said.
Having already spent years in the district, Huplosky said he will use the firsthand knowledge he gained to his benefit.
"There is a real genuine support system here that I knew coming into the position. ... Because I already knew the talents of the staff coming into it I can celebrate them and bring them to life."
Completely new to the district, Capozzoli was given a warm reception by parents, faculty and administrators. Between the balloons, flowers and well wishes, Capozzoli said she could not have asked for a warmer welcome.
Capozzoli comes to District 13 from Mount Elementary School in Stonybrook's Three Village Elementary School District where she served as assistant principal for seven years.
Capozzoli began her teaching career in Bayside, Queens, and later at Holy Spirit in New Hyde Park before becoming an assistant principal. She earned a master's degree while teaching in Queens.
Capozzoli said she feels as if she has "lucked out" by accepting the position at Willow.
"It is a place I would want to send my own child [Maggie, 4] to," Capozzoli said.
The East Norwich resident plans to visit classrooms as much as possible.
"I've always loved working with children and being a teacher is one of, if not the most important job in the country. Who else is going to shape the lives of the future leaders? I want them to leave here with a love of learning," Capozzoli said.
