School Board Hires

Assistant Principal

By Larissa Lytwyn

The Board of Education voted unanimously May 4 to hire Catherine M. Ostar as Newtown High School’s new assistant principal for the 2004-05 school year. She will begin work on July 1.

Ms Ostar replaces Jules Triber, who will be retiring this June after a 34-year career in education.

“I am very excited to begin working in Newtown,” said Ms Ostar, who has been Torrington High School’s assistant principal since 2002, after being promoted from dean of students.

“She has a great background in guidance counseling,” noted Board of Education Chairman Elaine McClure.

Prior to becoming assistant principal at Torrington High School, Ms Ostar served as the school’s director of guidance. She also served as a guidance counselor at both Swift Junior High School in Watertown during the 1994-95 school year and Memorial Middle School in Middlebury from 1995 to 2001.

Director of Guidance Elaine Schwartz will be transferring to Staples High School in Westport next fall. The process to hire a replacement has just recently begun, according to Superintendent of Schools Evan Pitkoff.

With the transition the guidance department will face, said Ms McClure, Ms Ostar’s guidance experience should be especially valued.

“She also has a background in alternative education, which is helpful,” Ms McClure said.

To accommodate Pupil Personnel Services Director Michael Regan’s cost-saving efforts to bring out-placed special needs students back into the district, the school board has increased funding in special needs training for district staff.

Ms McClure said that Ms Ostar’s experience in this field should prove an “asset.”

Ms McClure continued, “According to [Newtown High School principal] Bill Manfredonia and Dr Pitkoff, when they visited Torrington High School [as part of the interview process] people were in tears over her leaving. She was that loved.”

During his visit, Dr Pitkoff recorded comments from Torrington High School parents, students, and faculty about Ms Ostar.

“One of the parents said, ‘I think the school will lose more than it could ever replace [when] she leaves,’” he said.

“A student,” he continued, “said, ‘I never connected with another teacher the way I connected with Ms Ostar as assistant principal.’ That says a lot about Ms Ostar’s people-skills.”

Ms Ostar will join assistant principal Lorrie Aresenian in presiding over Newtown High School’s approximately 1,600 students.

Comparatively, Torrington High School’s enrollment is about 1,300 students.

Ms Ostar will earn an annual salary of $106,266.