Community Corner

Kahl Chosen as New Principal at Kelley, Halloran Joins SHS Staff

The Southington Board of Education on Thursday announced that Derynoski Assistant Principal Marilyn Kahl will take over the reins at Kelley Elementary School; Michael Halloran tapped as assistant principal at Southington High School.

When Marilyn Kahl joined the Southington school district two years ago as assistant principal at Derynoski Elementary School, she had aspirations to grow as an educator and work towards taking on new challenges including leading a school of her own someday.

She will now get that opportunity.

Kahl, 47, was chosen as the new principal of Kelley Elementary School on Thursday evening, replacing retiring principal Elizabeth Lutz. Kahl said she is grateful to get the opportunity and looks forward to working towards becoming part of the Kelley family.

“It’s an extraordinary honor and I know I have some big shoes to fill,” said Kahl. “My first true goal will be to get to know the teachers and students individually. I want to continue the tradition and sense of family that has been embedded within the community at Kelly.”

“Marilyn Kahl rose to the top of a very talented pool of qualified applicants because she has demonstrated the knowledge, experience and a strong desire for every student to be successful,” said Board of Education Chairman Brian Goralski.

Unlike others who came before her, the Cheshire didn’t take a traditional path to becoming a district administrator. A 1988 UConn graduate, Kahl spent the first six years of her post-education life working in sales and marketing. She liked the job, but felt she wanted to do something more to help the community.

It was then that she listened to the advice of her father and returned to school to become and educator, receiving a certification in elementary education and then joining the Cheshire school district as a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at the Highland School.

She was tapped as the assistant principal at Derynoski School in 2011 and said she has enjoyed the time there, but is looking forward to the new challenges awaiting her.

“I’m sad to leave Derynoski, it was a great community to be a part of and I learned so much working alongside (Principal) Jan Verderame,” Kahl said, “ but I am looking forward to the new opportunities professionally.

Kahl was one of two new administrators announced Thursday as the Southington Board of Education also selected Michael Halloran to take over as assistant principal at the Southington High School. He will assume the role previously held by Andrew Bauer, who will be retiring at the end of the school year.

Halloran, 37, is a Plainville High School graduate and as a 10-year resident of Southington where he lives with his wife Carina and their three children, the new role helps signify a return to home, he said.

“This is a community filled with students and staff who work together to make sure everyone has a chance to be successful,” Halloran said. “I look forward to joining the school and doing my part to see that those opportunities continue.

Halloran comes to the district from the CREC Polaris School in Hartford where he has spent the past four years as principal at the center. Prior to that, he served as supervisor of student services for the Capitol Region Education Council in Hartford.

He is a 1998 graduate of the University of Connecticut, with a bachelor’s degree in communication science and Master’s degree in speech pathology. He returned to school several years later, acquiring a sixth-year degree in education leadership from Central Connecticut State University.

“Throughout his career, Mr. Halloran has demonstrated that the district’s credo ‘making a difference, one student at a time’ is his daily practice,” said School Superintendent Joseph V. Erardi Jr. “He will be an extraordinary addition to an already high yielding high school leadership team.”

Both Halloran and Kahn will start on July 1, 2013. Kahn will make $121,000 and Halloran $120,600, school officials said.

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