Guilford Schools Appoints Calvin Leete and Baldwin Middle School Principal

The Guilford Board of Education appointed William Grimm as the next principal of Calvin Leete Elementary School and Douglas Hammel as the next principal of Abraham Baldwin Middle School at their meeting Monday, June 23, according to a press release by the school system. 

Both new principals will begin in the district on August 1, 2014.

Here is the rest of the school system's press release:

Superintendent Paul Freeman said, "We are very excited to have Bill and Doug joining our team.  Both are proven leaders with reputations for developing school climates that are inclusive and that drive student performance."

William Grimm comes to the district after eight years as the principal of Deer Run Elementary School in East Haven.  Prior to that he served as the principal at both the elementary and middle school levels in Portland, Connecticut.  Mr. Grimm also taught math and headed up the math division in grades seven and eight in Cheshire earlier in his career.  

In 2010 Mr. Grimm was selected as a Fellow in the Connecticut Educational Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).   He has a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, a Masters of Arts in Teaching from Quinnipiac University, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership from Sacred Heart University.

Douglas Hammel will be joining the district after five years as principal of Deans Mill Elementary School in Stonington, Connecticut. Prior to that he served as principal in both the Salem and North Branford schools and was a sixth grade teacher earlier in his career.  

Mr Hammel has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from UConn, a Masters in Education from the University of New Haven, and an administrative certification from Southern Connecticut State University. 

Both Mr. Grimm and Mr. Hammel worked in the private business world before shifting their attention to education and changing careers.

Following announcements this year from Principal Nancy Bishop at Leete and Anne Snurkowski at Baldwin that they would be retiring, the school district conducted a nation-wide search to find our new principals.  With over 100 applications that spanned from Connecticut to Alaska and from Florida to Minnesota, the pool of candidates was impressive and the search process was thorough. 

Two processes were conducted parallel to each other. Focus group meetings were held at both Leete and Baldwin for parents and for faculty and staff.  Students wrote letters to Superintendent Freeman explaining their priorities for the new principals.  Screening interviews were conducted by Superintendent Freeman and Assistant Superintendent Jason Beaudin.  

A representative committee was formed for each search including faculty, parents, administration and a board of education member, and these committees interviewed prospective candidates.  Finalists from those committees were then interviewed further by a panel of administrators.  Site visits were conducted for those finalists, references were checked, and the Board of Education conducted their final interviews Monday evening.

Bill Bloss, Chairman of the Board of Education, noted that, “Guilford received an overwhelming number of applications for the positions from highly qualified candidates. Bill and Doug rose to the top after the most thorough review process the district has ever undertaken.”

 “They have had exemplary track records throughout their careers,” Bloss added.  “We are genuinely fortunate to be able to bring them into our leadership team.”