ACROSS FAIRFIELD COUNTY - There's a new vitality and renewed
energy evident in Catholic education in Fairfield County, fueled
by the arrival of no fewer than six new principals of diocesan
Catholic elementary schools, with more appointments expected soon.
"Our new principals
bring a wealth of experience to their school communities and a
commitment to quality, Catholic education," says Dr. Margaret
Dames, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Bridgeport.
"We welcome them to our team, as we anticipate an exciting new
school year."
Saint
Joseph Elementary School, Brookfield
Rosemarie
Forte is the new principal at Saint Joseph Elementary School
in Brookfield, succeeding Judith Shivy.
Born and raised
in Bridgeport, Forte attended Saint Ambrose Elementary School
and was in the first graduating class of Saint Joseph High School
in Trumbull. She holds her bachelor's degree from Southern Connecticut
State University and her master's degree from the University of
Bridgeport, both in Elementary Education, and received her sixth-year
degree in Educational Leadership from Southern.
She taught
in Stratford and Seymour Public elementary schools before becoming
principal of Irving School in Derby from 1999-2001. Forte has
been childcare director for Sleeping Giant Day Care in Hamden,
and for the Before/After School and School Readiness programs
at the Stratford YMCA.
Forte and
her husband, Paul, and their two sons live in Seymour, where they
are members of Good Shepherd Parish.
"Having been
a product of Catholic schools, I look forward to that sharing
of faith and values again," Forte says. "When you go into a Catholic
school, you have a whole community of faculty, students, and parents
who support you. I've found that at Saint Joseph's."
Saint
Joseph's enrolls students in grades K-8. Places are available:
please call 775-2774.
Saint
Joseph Elementary School, Danbury
Gerianne
O'Rourke is the new principal of Saint Joseph Elementary School
in Danbury, succeeding Sharon Quish.
Raised in
the Bronx, O'Rourke holds her bachelor's and master's degrees
from Herbert Lehman College, both in elementary education. She
has her New York State permanent certification in nursery school-grade
12 and in English, and a professional diploma in School Administration
Supervision from Fordham University.
O'Rourke has
more than thirty years' experience in Catholic education, twenty
of them as a school principal. During that time she designed and
implemented the curriculum to meet the changing needs of the student
body, improved remedial services - resulting in higher reading
and math scores - and established after-school programs to answer
parent needs.
With her husband,
Jerry, and their two children, O'Rourke lives in Carmel, NY, where
the family are members of Saint James the Apostle Parish.
O'Rourke has
always sought positions in Catholic education, because it offers
a chance to share her faith with students and faculty. Saint Joseph's
has an added attraction.
"At a time
when Catholic schools in most areas are closing or downsizing,
I'm looking forward to working in a school with a growing population,"
she says. "Saint Joseph has added 100 children in the past few
years, and is still growing."
Saint
Joseph's enrolls students in grades K-8. Places are available:
please call 748-6815.
Saint
Peter Elementary School, Danbury
Eugene
Hewitt, Jr., is the new principal of Saint Peter Elementary
School in Danbury, succeeding Josephine Ferry.
Raised in
Rockland County, NY, Hewitt holds his bachelor of science degree
in Education from Saint Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, NY,
and his master's in Education from Iona College in New Rochelle,
NY, with a major in Social Studies. He holds his New York State
permanent certification in N-6 and in Social Studies.
He has taught
in Catholic elementary schools in New York throughout his career,
serving first as a teacher and later as principal. With a keen
interest in sports, he has been a basketball, baseball, and flag
football coach. He has been director of a Dead Poets' Society,
directed school plays, and formed a language arts committee to
establish goals throughout his school.
He and his
wife, Alicia, and their four children live in Chester, NY, and
attend Saint Columba Parish.
"I have been
a part of the Catholic school system since I was 17," Hewitt says.
"I've seen first hand the difference in children who come from
a faithbased education. I'm a strong believer in the discipline
and values that we infuse in the Catholic school system."
Saint
Peter's enrolls students in grades pre-K-8. Places are available:
please call 748-2895.
All
Saints Elementary School, Norwalk
Nancy DiBuono
is the new principal at All Saints Elementary School in Norwalk,
succeeding the school's first principal, Sister Catherine Sheehy,
R.S.M. DiBuono has been a middle school teacher at All Saints
since 1998.
Born and raised
in New Rochelle, NY, DiBuono graduated from the College of New
Rochelle with a bachelor of science degree in nursing. Still a
registered nurse, she worked as head of obstetrics in New Rochelle
for ten years.
She went back
for a provisional certification in Elementary Education from Sacred
Heart University in Fairfield when her four children were young,
and became a substitute teacher at All Saints and at Saint Aloysius
School in New Canaan. She will receive her master's degree in
Education from Sacred Heart this fall.
During her
years at All Saints, DiBuono has been a student council moderator
and science fair coordinator, and was a member of the steering
committee for the NEASC accreditation in 2004. She has been summer
school coordinator and instructor since 1998, teaching math, science,
and reading.
DiBuono and
her family are active members of Saint Matthew Parish in Norwalk,
where she is a member of Saint Martha's hospitality, a group that
bakes for families that have suffered a loss. Her children have
attended Catholic schools through the university level.
"It's a holistic
education," she says. "It's not just academic, it's spiritual
as well. In today's world, we need more of that."
All
Saints enrolls students in grades pre-K-8. Places are available:
please call 847-3881.
Saint
Lawrence Elementary School, Shelton
Anne D'Amore
is the new principal of Saint Lawrence Elementary School in
Shelton, succeeding Mary O'Connor.
D'Amore grew
up in Scranton, PA, and holds her bachelor's degree from Marywood
University in Scranton with a major in Secondary Education and
Spanish. She studied abroad in Valencia, Spain, and later became
a teaching assistant in Spanish at Pennsylvania State University,
where she took graduate courses in Spanish and linguistics. She
holds her master's degree from Elmira University, NY, with a concentration
in Education and Psychology. She holds secondary teacher certification
in New York and Pennsylvania.
D'Amore began
her career teaching Spanish, English, and ESL classes at the American
School in Mexico City, Mexico. Returning to this country, she
worked for the State of Connecticut in the Social Services and
Judicial Departments.
When her daughter
entered kindergarten at Saint Lawrence, D'Amore volunteered in
the school. She became a teacher, establishing the school's Spanish
curriculum for grades 4-8. She also taught in the language arts
and music programs for the upper grades.
D'Amore, her
husband, Frank, and their daughter are members of Saint Lawrence
Parish.
"My heart
is in Catholic education," D'Amore says. "It's a Christ-centered
environment. In any subject you teach, you can bring in the moral
level. In the public schools you can't do that. You have to tread
very delicately."
Saint
Lawrence enrolls students in grades pre-K-8. Places are available:
please call 929-4422.
Our
Lady of Fatima Elementary School, Wilton
Donna Montalto
is the new principal of Our Lady of Fatima Elementary School in
Wilton, succeeding Mary Ann Bozzuti.
Hailing from
Garden City, NY, Montalto holds her bachelor's degree in Elementary
Education and Psychology from Hofstra University in Hempstead,
NY. Originally a preschool teacher, she received a master's degree
in Library Science from C.W. Post College of Long Island University
in Brookville, NY. She became head of children's and adult services
at the Glen Cove Public Library.
Coming to
Connecticut, Montalto received her master's degree from Fairfield
University in Elementary Education, and holds both Connecticut
and New York state certifications for grades Pre-K-6.
She came to
Our Lady of Fatima School as a computer teacher and technology
coordinator in 2000. At that time she also taught the school's
secondgrade science program. She became a sixth-grade homeroom
teacher and taught history and geography to the upper grades beginning
the following year.
Montalto lives
in Ridgefield, where she is a member of Saint Mary Parish.
Reflecting
on her career shift to Catholic schools, Montalto credits the
common values shared at Our Lady of Fatima. "I'm surrounded by
people who think it's important to show their faith in compassion
and in helping others," Montalto says.
Our
Lady of Fatima School enrolls students in grades pre- K-8. Places
are available: please call 762-8100.
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