New Assistant Principal Named At Foran High School In Milford

MILFORD, CT — Dena Kelly has been appointed the new assistant principal at Joseph A. Foran High School in Milford, officials announced Thursday.

Kelly comes to Milford from the Stratford Public School system where she has served as an English and journalism teacher at Bunnell High School since 2014. She will fill the vacancy left by Christianne Golesky, who recently became the instructional supervisor at the district level for student development and wellness, grades 6-12.

Kelly is expected to assume her new role in Milford in November, according to a news release.

“I am so excited for Dena to join the Foran family,” Principal Max Berkowitz said. “Her experience as an educator, along with her enthusiasm, will have an extremely positive impact on the lives of our students and strengthen our school community.”

Kelly has been an “active and engaged educator in the Stratford school system during the past 8 years with both peers and students,” officials wrote in a news release. “She developed strong instructional technique using higher-order questioning, inquiry-based learning, performance-based assessments, student-centered learning, and differentiation.”

Kelly was “deeply involved in Bunnell’s school community and had a strong commitment to the students – both in the classroom setting as well as in extracurricular activities and programming,” officials wrote.

She led the high school newspaper publication for students through the journalism program at the school and served as an advisor for many clubs there including Be Kind, Assets, Yoga, and Journalism, among others. In conjunction with this work, Kelly organized and facilitated many student-led fundraisers for various school-based efforts.

During the same time period, she also served as an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University in the humanities department (2017 to 2020) where she developed a first-year seminar course and collaborated with the student success center. She also served as a dual enrollment adjunct professor at Southern Connecticut State University (2020 to present).

“I am grateful for the opportunity to join such dedicated professionals who truly invest in their staff, students, and families,” Kelly said. “It is clear that Foran High School and the Milford Public School community are doing incredible work, and I am looking forward to joining the team and connecting with the community.”

Kelly is a graduate of Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in English/Secondary Education in 2012. She continued her post-grad work receiving a Master of Arts degree in Teaching from Sacred Heart University in 2013, followed by her Sixth Year Certification from the University of Bridgeport in Educational Leadership in 2021.

“I am excited to welcome Ms. Kelly as the new assistant principal of Joseph A. Foran High School,” Milford Superintendent Anna Cutaia said. “I believe her strengths in understanding instructional design, the needs of the whole child and her warm inviting approach to doing what is best for all children will be exactly the right fit for our school community at Foran.”