New Administrator Appointed to Greenwich Alternative High School

Greenwich Schools Superintendent Bill McKersie announced the appointment of Rosemarie (Roe) Ampha as Greenwich Alternative High School’s (GAHS) Program Administrator, effective July 1.

Ampha will succeed GAHS Program Associate Barbara Varanelli who announced Thursday that she will retire July 1 as head of the school located on the campus of the former St. Catherine of Siena School on Riverside Avenue.

Ampha joined Greenwich Public Schools at Greenwich High School (GHS) in 2004 as a special education teacher. She became the Program Administrator for Special Education at GHS in 2010 where she supervised the program that supports secondary students with disabilities. She has guided the program through an expansion of options for students and worked closely with staff from the Comprehensive Support Program (CSP) to refine the positive behavior system. She has also guided a shift in instructional practices to a more hands-on approach using Universal Design for Learning.

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Director of Pupil Personnel Services Mary Forde said in a statement, “Roe impressed the interview panel with her knowledge of Special Education and her vision for developing an integrated alternative high school program with increased options for a wider range of students. She looks forward to promoting a program that capitalizes on the strengths of the students enrolled and the faculty at GAHS.”

Varanelli began her career in education nearly 20 years ago as a social worker for Arch School, Greenwich’s alternative high school program. Varanelli has overseen numerous moves to new sites and helped evolve the program from a small ‘one-room school house’ to an integrated alternative setting for both general and special education students.

Recently retired Program Coordinator Sharon Turshen said, “Barbara has the unique capacity to see the best in every student and the eternal optimism to believe that each young person is one step away from a bright future. She leaves a program that has benefitted from her experience and expertise, but more importantly, she leaves a community blessed by her compassion.”

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Photo credit: Greenwich Public Schools.