The New Kid In School—Waterford High School Principal Andre Hauser

Like a swimmer testing the water, incoming principal Andre Hauser has been easing his way into Waterford High School slowly.

He's going into his third week at the school and, with retiring school principal Don Macrino still in place to show him the ropes, he's been acclimatizing gradually. 

Hauser, who started his career as a journalist, has been in education for 17 years now. He's spent the past 10 of those in Regional School District 13, first as assistant principal, then as principal of Coginchaug High School in Durham-Middlefield. In 2008, the Connecticut Association of Schools named him Principal of the Year.

Why Waterford? 

Hauser said he was attracted to Waterford High School for a variety of reasons. 

"I've worked in larger schools [with more than 1,200 students] and Coginchaug [which has fewer than 600 students]. Somewhere in the middle was where I thought I'd be good," Hauser said. 

Even so, coming to suburban Waterford from rural Durham is a big departure. Not only does Waterford High School have about 300 more students than Coginchaug, Hauser said, Waterford's student population is also much more culturally and ethnically diverse. 

Then there is the school itself. When Hauser arrived in May, he walked into a brand new state-of-the-art school building. 

"The great opportunity for me here is to work with the faculty to figure out what we can actually do with these new resources," Hauser said. "I'll get to work with them next year and try to find the potential. And that's exciting."

First Impressions

Hauser said he is impressed by "the very ambitious way this town approaches education." He cites the fact that Waterford's school district volunteered to be part of the pilot program for the state's new teacher evaluation system—while at the same time implementing new federal Common CORE curriculum standards—as a prime example of that. 

"This is clearly a place that's willing to try new things," he said. "And I wanted to be part of that."

First Day Jitters? 

Like any other new kid in school, Hauser said he was initially nervous because he didn't know anyone. But, he said, "everyone has been extremely welcoming. I wish I knew more people's names, but that will come." 

So what advice does Macrino have for the new kid in town? 

"Andre is a very competent young man. He's already acknowledged statewide as a fine principal," Macrino said. "[I'd say] breathe the air, drink the water, get used to the place. Learn about the community and get to know the students—and he's already begun to do that in a very positive way."