Assistant Principal –

A Familiar Face In A New Position

At Sandy Hook School

By Tanjua Damon

The assistant principal position may be a new one at Sandy Hook Elementary, but the person filling it isn’t new to the school at all.

Cathy Mazzariello, a veteran of the Sandy Hook staff, took on her new role Monday as assistant principal at the school. She will be the first-ever assistant principal at an elementary school in the Newtown School District.

“In this school, it has been needed for a long time,” said Mrs Mazzariello. “It’s not going to be something totally new to me.”

The growing enrollment at Sandy Hook has caused the need for a second administrator there. This year, four classrooms will be in “portables” that have been added to the school to accommodate the growing number of students attending the school. Over 700 students will fill the Sandy Hook halls and classrooms starting August 30. The school has over 85 faculty and staff.

Mrs Mazzariello spent 18 years teaching at Sandy Hook, then two years as the lead teacher, and a year as the math specialist. She feels after being a lead teacher and math specialist, she has had a few years internship for the assistant principal’s position she now holds.

“A lot of my duties will remain the same,” Mrs Mazzariello said. “I’ll sit in and do evaluations, work with new teachers, scheduling and coordinating staff.”

Change doesn’t bother Mrs Mazzariello. In fact, she welcomes it with open arms and looks at change as a good thing that keeps things going.

“I have taught in each of the last five decades. I’ve seen it all. It doesn’t frighten me,” she said. “If you aren’t looking for change, then you become stagnant. I find it very exciting. I think I have credibility with the staff because I have been here a lot. I have always looked for new things and have been anxious for change.”

“It’s natural. It should be looked at as another door opening. It gives more directions to you. You’re always learning. I love that. I always tell my students you are never too old to try something new.”

She has also been working on a system for organizing test data not to just look at students’ scores, but to also identify strengths and weaknesses of individual students. “We will use the curriculum based assessments to be able to provide and arrange data,” Mrs Mazzariello said. “Then we will have teachers develop plans to meet individual student needs.”

Mrs Mazzariello looks forward to continuing her work with Sandy Hook Principal Donna Pagé, who has allowed her to gain experience and try new things.

“Donna Pagé has never prevented me from trying new things. She encourages you to think for yourself,” Mrs Mazzariello said. “She has helped me move in that direction. She allows me to be my own person. Together we will define how this position will develop. You do need expertise from those who have been there and done that.”

Another one of Mrs Mazzariello’s duties will include working with the school’s new teachers ( in their first three years of teaching). Sandy Hook has seven new teachers for this year, and there are about seven remaining teachers who are still in their first three years of teaching.

Mrs Mazzariello, who at first never saw herself as an administrator, sees herself as a facilitator in the building working with the entire staff, assessing test scores, and dealing with schedules and the day-to-day operations of the school.

“I actually never thought I would go into administration. I never wanted to leave my classroom,” she said. “I will be the facilitator in the building, together with the staff, special areas, and principal, to help make all of the goals and visions for the building work.”

Mrs Mazzariello has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and sociology from Brooklyn College, a master’s degree in instructional design and curriculum development from Western Connecticut State University, and a sixth year at Southern Connecticut State University, where she is working on courses over her master’s credits.