Principal's Blog for August 19, 2014
Here is an update on personnel matters at DHS.
As you know, Mrs. Bates has formally left DHS for her new position. She'll be missed and we thank her for all that she brought to the school. Everyone at DHS really valued her and her impact upon the school while serving as our Assistant Principal. We wish Mrs. Bates nothing but the best in her new position and hope that going forward, she will not be a stranger to DHS.
I am glad to introduce Mr. Desi Vega who has been hired as the new Assistant Principal for DHS. Mr. Vega has served as the Assistant Principal at Belchertown High School for the past four years. Prior to being at Belchertown, Mr. Vega was a PE teacher at Hampshire Regional HS for 10 years. He attended Westfield State University where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in Movement Science. He completed his Masters of Education as part the Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association licensure cohort program. While at Hampshire, he coached girls' basketball, soccer and softball. He is a member of the MSSAA, the National Education Association and is a certified A.L.I.C.E. trainer as well. I look forward to working with Mr. Vega. I am confident he will have a positive impact on our school community.
I would also like to express my appreciation to the members of the Assistant Principal's search committee for all their work on this selection process. They were very gracious to have given so much of their time to this work and I am very appreciative. The members of the committee were: Mrs. Adamson, Mr. Riordan, Mr. McGrath, Mrs. Diane Miller (parent), Mrs. Sokol, Mr. Ginisi, Mrs. Hurley (parent as well), Mrs. Stack and Mrs. Brosnahan. This group reviewed resumes, cover letters, transcripts and letters of recommendation of nearly 30 applicants prior to entering into the formal interview process. Their participation in the interviews provided the members of the committee with a real good understanding of all the candidates which allowed us to make a very informed decision.
I am pleased to introduce Mr. Corey Stefan who will be joining the faculty of DHS as a member of the English department. Corey is a graduate of Worcester State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a minor in Communication. He is presently enrolled in a Masters of Arts in English program at Northeastern University. He has been a substitute at DHS and is known to most everyone in the building. He will be teaching sections of English II, III and IV this year. We welcome Mr. Stefan to the faculty of DHS.
I am happy to inform everyone that Mrs. Caroline Fitzpatrick has been back in the building this week and that she is very much looking forward to being back in her classroom and working with our students. It is nice have her back with us for the start of the school year. Welcome back Mrs. Fitz!!!
On behalf of everyone at DHS, I want wish Mrs. Farese, Ms. Harkins, Mrs. Graveson, Ms. Dionis and Mrs. Miller best wishes as they leave our faculty to become part of the Middle School staff. They will be missed. They all brought so much to the high school over the past years. They were valuable contributors to our faculty and brought a real dedication to their students. I thank them and wish them the best as they move down to the Middle School. They are quality educators and just real nice people who I enjoyed working with.
Lastly, I was informed that Melissa Harris, who has been an instructional aide and filled in as classroom teacher in Mrs. Fitz's absence last year, has accepted a position at another school district and as such she will not be returning to DHS this year. I want to extend my appreciation to her for all that she had done at the school. She demonstrated a true commitment to our students and to the quality of their learning experience. She was also so willing to be part of the school's culture. We thank Melissa and wish her the best with this new position.
