The welcoming of the new principal, Mr. Andre Hauser, amplified the students’ and staff’s excitement about the new school.

Mr. Hauser, the father of two, and owner of three dogs and two guinea pigs, worked as an educator at Coginchaug High School in Durham, Connecticut for a over decade.

However, if someone had told him when he was in his twenties that he would eventually be a high school principal, he would have never believed it.

Mr. Hauser, an alumni of University of North Carolina Chapel Hill,  majored in Journalism with a minor in English. Everything he learned in school and his previous career as a journalist helped him to become an exemplary educator through asking valuable questions and reserving judgement in various situations.

However, the main reason for leaving journalism for education was because he “hated being on the sidelines, which is what reporters do.”

He knew that he could do a much better job being in the middle of situations and thinking of creative solutions to problems.

Mr. Hauser is excited for the new set of opportunities and challenges his position here brings. However, transitioning into a new environment comes with many challenges, including putting names to nearly a thousand new faces.

“I plan on going home this summer with the middle school yearbook and study the incoming freshman class,” said Hauser, explaining his strategy to tackle part of this obstacle.

He also wants to meet as many students as possible, as well as all teachers and the support staff.

He does not plan to make any changes during the last few weeks of the year. “I have six to seven weeks left until the end of the year. I want to learn all I can and reserve judgement,” he said.

Mr. Hauser supports the new Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Program that is being implemented. He stood behind the program at Coginchaug, encouraging students to make the most out of all of the technology available to them.

In order to be successful in today’s workplace,  it is necessary to keep up to date with modern technology and students must be taught how to use their devices properly. During the interview, he pointed out, “I didn’t bring a notepad today. I brought an iPad, and I have a cell phone clipped onto my belt.”

When asked about a petition circulating around the school to allow students to join the Board of Education in  assisting with school decisions, Mr. Hauser said he was all for it, noting that whatever changes the school board makes should be in the best interest of the students, and students being a part of the BOE is an effective way of doing so.

When it comes to education as a whole, Mr. Hauser’s belief is clear: “Kids need a reason to come to school. School work should be hard, but working conditions shouldn’t be. Hard work shouldn’t just be hard work with no purpose.”