Waterford Hires Its Next High School Principal

Wednesday night, the Board of Education appointed Andre Hauser as the next principal of Waterford High School.

Hauser is currently the principal at Coginchaug Regional High School in Region 13, which serves students from Durham and Middlefield. Hauser has held that position since 2010, and has 17 years of experience in education and journalism, according a press release from the Waterford School District.

“Your faculty is getting results and your students are performing in ways that they shouldn’t be,” Hauser said. “There is a lot that I want to learn from them. So I am very excited to be here and be part of this team.”

Superintendent Jerome Belair said Hauser was selected by a search team composed of administrators, teachers, students, parents and Board of Education members, was interviewed by the Board of Education itself and representatives of the Waterford School District visited Coginchaugh High School to interview faculty, teachers and fellow administrators there.

“It all came down to really trying to find the very best fit for Waterford High School,” Belair said. “A person who brings inspiration, that brings out the very best in our staff as well as our students. And I believe we have a fit.”

Hauser has a bachelors degree in journalism and English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a masters degree in teaching from Sacred Heart University. Before becoming principal of Coginchaug High School, he served as assistant principal there and was previously an English teacher. He also spent a year hiking the Appalachian Trail.

“We are fortunate to have Andre join (Waterford),” Board of Education Chairwomen Kathleen McCarty said in a statement. “The board was impressed with his leadership style and his ability to listen, collaborate with others and make the best decisions for students.”

Hauser piloted a “bring your own device” initiative at history classes at Coginchaug High School, where students brought in their own electronic devices from home. Waterford is planning on doing a similar program in the future, so that familiarity with technology helped guide the decision, Belair said.

Hauser lives in Madison with his wife and family, according to a press release. Hauser will replace Principal Don Macrino, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

Macrino has been the principal of Waterford High School for 17 years and has worked in public education for 40 years. Hauser will join Waterford in May, where he will work alongside Macrino for the remainder of the school year, according to Belair.