Greetings! My name is Stefan Czaporowski and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve the community as the Superintendent of the Westfield Public Schools. Already I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you, and your input has and will continue to help guide the direction of our school district. I am a collaborator by nature who thrives on working for positive change with others. While Principal at Westfield Technical Academy, I was fortunate enough to initiate and sustain change by building a variety of relationships with stakeholders that included staff, students, parents, businesses, community members, political representatives, and educational leaders across the region. Our collaborative efforts at the district level will continue to bring equitable educational opportunities for all students in our school district.
This school year, rather than hit the ground running, the Westfield Public Schools administrative team will hit the ground listening and learning. Together we will continue to build positive relationships for all students in our school district. Relationships between business and community to schools, between administration and teachers, parents and teachers, teachers to students are critical to the success of our students and our schools. I believe these relationships are what help our students achieve and grow to become positive members of our community. Our district vision says that the Westfield Public Schools will collaborate with families to provide a rigorous 21st century program that promotes continuous academic, emotional, and social growth and enables students to achieve personal success in order to become self-sufficient global citizens. These can’t be just words; we need to make sure that everything we do is driven by our vision.
There has been a lot of activity in the district and schools over the summer. We had several administrative vacancies to fill and I am pleased to announce that Dr. Adam Garand is our new Administrator of Special Education, Paula Ceglowski is our new Director of Human Resources, and Christopher Rogers will serve as the Administrator of Student Interventions. At the building level, Sal Frieri is the new Principal at Munger Hill Elementary School, Stacy Burgess will be the Principal at Abner Gibbs Elementary School, Joe Langone is the new Principal at Westfield Technical Academy, Chuck Jendrysik has started as the Principal at Westfield High School, and Jill Phelan joins our team as the Assistant Principal at Highland Elementary School. We also have 27 new teachers joining the ranks replacing retirees and other staff who left the district. Welcome to Westfield Public Schools. But we didn’t just hire staff this summer, all of the schools have been cleaned, new students were enrolled, Power School was updated and new bus routes were created. I want to thank all of the custodial and maintenance staff, administrative assistants, the Westfield Technology Center, and district and school administrators who helped get us ready for Opening Day on September 1.
Since starting my position as the Superintendent in July, I’ve met with representatives from the police and fire departments, city and state officials, business and community leaders, the Westfield Technology Center staff, Volunteers in Public Schools, Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce, Boy Scouts of America, parents, students, and teachers and staff. One thing that I quickly discovered is the tremendous amount of community support for the Westfield Public Schools. I have also met with volunteers at the Westfield Foundation for Education, which has only been around for a few years but distributed over $18,000 in grants last year alone to our schools. I met with the team at the Westfield Boys and Girls Club and learned about all of the indispensable services that they provide for our students. Recurring meetings with staff at Westfield State University have led to a continued partnershipwith Westfield Technical Academy on providing dual enrollment courses for our students at a fraction of the typical cost and expansion to Westfield High School for the 2017-2018 school year. In addition, on September 6, Westfield State University students will be performing community service at several of our schools as part of HOOT (Helping Out Our Town) day. Last week, the district had an important visit from officials from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Connecticut and Washington D.C. Westfield Public Schools now hasthe third FAA certified Aviation Maintenance Technology Program for high school students in the nation. We are well on our way to becoming an aviation district. At this meeting, Gulfstream awarded WTA an additional $100,000 grant. This is a perfect example of what can happen when the city, schools, and local businesses come together.
Lastly, several people have asked me what I value and stand for. Collaboration is probably one concept that is easy to figure out. I strive to actively involve students, staff, parents, and the community in all facets of the educational process. Integrity, transparency and respect are principles that I also hold strong. I believe that consistent honesty and fairness are critical to building trust and that everyone deserves to be treated with respect. I also believe that every student can learn. I’d like to think that every decision that I have ever made in my career has had the benefits of students in mind. As we move ahead, please remember that you can always reach out to me and the entire central office team with questions and suggestions. Know that your voices will be heard. Best wishes on a successful and rewarding school year.
