Tolland's Kennedy Named Berlin High School Principal

Town Council member Francis Kennedy is the new principal of Berlin High School.

With the Berlin Board of Education's approval Monday night, Kennedy takes his professional career south from Stafford High School, where he's served as principal since 1996. 

Kennedy was chosen from a field of six finalists. The selection committee consisted of BOE members, parents, community members and staff of Berlin High School. 

"We talked informally with candidates after our current principal announced he was leaving," Berlin Superintendent of Schools David B. Erwin said. "There was one candidate that kept coming up and everybody solidly believed was the person for the job.

"I then contacted him to make sure he was still interested and he was. We had a site visit at his school last Tuesday and talked to the staff, the secretaries, the athletic director and faculty and all gave us positive responses.

"We also talked to two very diverse students. One, you could say, was the model child and the other student was a very energetic student. He had been suspended numerous times and was not a high academic student. The first sang the praises of our candidate and the other talked about how this person helped him through his senior year and that he was going to college. That certainly choked me up a little bit."

Kennedy has a diverse background and is involved in many things besides pure academia.

He earned his Bachelor's Degree from Southern Connecticut State University in Corporate Communication and Fine Art (double major.) He earned his Master's Degree in Educational Media from Central Connecticut State University and his Administrative Certificate from UConn Advanced Graduate Study. 

His career began as a Library Media Specialist in Regional School District 15. He continued to work as a Media Specialist at Staples High School and Stafford High School. In August of 1994, he was named assistant principal at Stafford High School. Two years later, he was named principal and has served in that capacity for the last 15 years.

Kennedy's resume lists some significant community leadership: Tolland town council member, a vice president of the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS), a commission member of NEASC, a UCAPP Mentor at UConn and a member of the B.P.O. Elks for the last 25 years.