Darien Public Schools Announces Administrative Appointments

DARIEN, CT — Superintendent of Darien Public Schools Dr. Alan Addley has announced several administrative appointments across the district.

Alison Mullane was appointed assistant principal at Darien High School; Felicia Bellows will be the assistant principal at Middlesex Middle School; Amanda Kearney was named the assistant principal at Royle Elementary School; and Melissa Kay will serve as the interim principal of Ox Ridge Elementary School.

Mullane began her career in education in 1991 as a special education teacher at the Founders School in East Haddam, and then as a special education and social studies teacher at East Lyme High School in East Lyme.

She moved to Waterford High School in Waterford and served as an assistant principal for eight years before going to North Stonington last year to serve as director of pupil services.

Mullane has a bachelor's degree in special education from Southern Connecticut State University, a master's in psychology from Connecticut College and a sixth year degree in educational leadership from Sacred Heart University.

"It is a great honor to be joining a strong administrative team in a wonderful community. I hope the Darien High School family finds me to be approachable, fair, and sincerely committed to having a positive impact in the lives of each and every student," Mullane said in a news release.

Addley said Mullane's years of experience as an educator will make her "a valued addition" to the DHS administrative team.

Bellows's teacher career began at DHS in 1989, and she has remained in the district ever since.

She became the mathematics department coordinator in 2011, and chair of the department in 2017. Bellows has also served as an adjunct professor of mathematics at Fairfield University since 2000.

Bellows has a bachelor's degree in psychology and mathematics, and a master's degree with distrinction in secondary education, curriculum and teaching from Hofstra University. She also has a doctoral degree in educaitonal leadership from the University of Hartford.

"Working for the Darien Public School district for the duration of my career has been an honor and privilege so it is truly humbling to now be appointed the Middlesex assistant principal," Bellows said. "I would like to thank Dr. Addley, the administration, and the Board of Education for this incredible opportunity. I am grateful, delighted, and eagerly looking forward to working with the students, staff and community."

"Felicia’s teaching and administrative experiences in Darien’s secondary schools over the past thirty years provide her with the knowledge and skills to be successful in her new position as an assistant principal at Middlesex Middle School. We congratulate Felicia on her appointment," Addley added.

Kearney's education career started as a speech and language pathologist for Milford Public Schools in 2013. In 2016, she moved to Norwalk Public Schools where she also served as a speech pathologist.

In 2020, Kearney became the speech pathologist and service plan liaison at Ridgebury Elementary School in Ridgefield.

From 2014 to 2020, Kearney was an adjunct professor and assistant clinical superivisor at Iona University.

Kearney has a bachelor's degree in speech-language patholigy from Adelphi University, and her sixth year progessional diploma in educational leadership from Southern Connecticut State University.

"I am thrilled to join the Royle community in this role and work with all of the wonderful students, staff, and families. Throughout the interview process it was evident that Darien Public Schools is a district that aims to instill a love of learning in all students. I feel very fortunate and excited to begin this new journey," Kearney said in a news release.

Addley welcomed Kearney to town.

Kay started her teaching career in 1994 at an elementary school in Westport where she taught for 10 years.

In 2004, she was appointed as assistant principal at West Elementary School in New Canaan, and then moved to Stratford Academy to be the assistant principal there in 2005.

The next year, Kay returned to Westport as the principal of Coleytown Elementary School before she became the principal of Bedford Middle School in Westport in 2010.

In 2012, Kay became the elementary school principal of the American Overseas School of Rome and served in that role for four years. She then worked as the early childhood/elementary school principal at Cayman International School in Grand Cayman.

Kay's career also includes a stint as interim elementary school principal at the American International School in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Kay has a bachelor's degree in communications from Boston University, a master's in elementary education from Leslie University and her administrative degree from the University of Connecticut. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in educational leadership from Spalding University.

"I am honored to be appointed as the interim principal of Ox Ridge Elementary School. As a leader in education, I look forward to working with the members of the Darien community to support prior work that has been done and collaborate to create future initiatives for the Darien school district," Kay said in a news release. "I am excited to begin to make connections with parents, staff and, of course, the students as I begin my work at Ox Ridge."

Addley said Kay's "vast and comprehensive experiences" in early childhood and elementary school leadership will ensure a smooth transition for our Ox Ridge families, staff and students."