Newtown High School Principal Dr Kimberly Longobucco was celebrated at the Connecticut School Counselor Association (CSCA) Awards Gala on October 4 for earning the group’s Administrator of the Year award.

Dr Longobucco learned of the award last school year. She was first nominated for the award while serving as assistant principal at NHS. She was later hired by the Board of Education to serve as the school’s principal.

The October 4 gala was held at Elaine’s Restaurant in Wethersfield. Other awardees honored during the event were Kristina Wallace of Windsor High School as the School Counselor of the Year, Branford High School’s Counseling Department as the Outstanding Comprehensive Developmental School Counseling Program, and Breanna Riollano of Wolcott High School as the School Counseling Intern of the Year, according to the CSCA’s website, csca.wildapricot.org.

NHS school counselors Lisa Kapitan, Sara Brant, and Ana Mendes nominated Dr Longobucco for the award.

The nomination, shared by Ms Kapitan, reads, “[Dr Longobucco] is smart and a do-er. She resolves issues and takes things on, never passing the buck. She is driven, smart, and a fabulous communicator. She delivers the hard messages, and they are received well because she truly is always looking out for everyone’s best interest. She is liked by students and respected by colleagues because of her sense of humor and genuine nature. She has brought a warmth to the assistant principals’ office not only with the welcoming decor, but fun during spirit week (dressing up as a minion on costume day), and spirit gear for wearing on Fridays. She is fair, strong, never boastful, takes her role seriously, and takes pride in a job well done. Not to mention she is always supportive of the school counseling staff, and a strong advocate for kids and staff. We admire her immensely.”

Following the gala, Dr Longobucco explained that once she was nominated, she also had to submit a written response for her application.

Dr Longobucco’s application reads in part, “As an administrator at Newtown High School, I pride myself on always collaborating as a team. School counselors are an integral part of the success of our students. I personally feel that the relationship between administration and school counselors is one of the most vital in any school setting. Every day I see our counselors working, and every day it is with the best interest of our students in mind. From writing countless college recommendations to scheduling students, teaching workshop classes, and building relationships with students and families, our counselors are the go to people any time I have a student concern.”

Her application continues later, “We go into education to provide the best possible opportunities for all children. I feel strongly that our school counselors are the silent heroes in our building, many times doing thankless work. You can often find them delivering difficult messages to students and families, fielding countless phone calls, contacting teachers, and managing 504 plans, all while being flexible enough to drop everything and deal with a crisis on the fly. This is the description of a dedicated school counselor.

“It is my job to support my counselors — be a sounding board for them to brainstorm with, a shoulder to lean on, and a team leader that they are proud to follow. Far too often, school counselors go unnoticed... I am the fortunate leader of a great group of school counselors who always put children first,” Dr Longobucco wrote.

Reflecting on the gala, Dr Longobucco said she understood from speaking with school counselors at the event that they feel administrators help make the “whole picture work together.”

“It’s really nice to be recognized by a specific group,” Dr Longobucco said.