New Interim Principal Named At New Canaan Elementary School

NEW CANAAN, CT — New Canaan Public Schools announced Tuesday that John Grasso has been appointed as interim principal of East Elementary School for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year.

According to a news release provided by the school district, Grasso will be stepping in for Kristine Woleck as she transitions to New Fairfield School District's assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. He began the position Tuesday.

"We are incredibly fortunate to have Mr. Grasso back at the district to serve as East School's interim principal," Superintendent Bryan Luizzi said in a news release. "Throughout his career, John has been an exemplary leader for students, staff, and the community, and he is highly regarded in our field. John was a fabulous interim principal at South School when Joanne Rocco retired, and I’m confident he’ll be equally outstanding as interim principal at East School. We’re thrilled to be welcoming him back to New Canaan."

Grasso served as principal at Riverside School in Greenwich until his retirement from the Greenwich Public School district in 2012.

Since then, he has continued to serve in interim positions for districts throughout the county, including principal of Royale Elementary School in Darien from 2014-2016, Parkway Elementary School in Greenwich from 2016-2017, Hamilton Avenue STEM Magnet School in Greenwich from 2018-2019 and South Elementary School in New Canaan from 2019-2020, according to the district.

Originally earning his bachelor’s degree from St. John University in Queens, N.Y., Grasso continued his education with his master’s degree in curriculum development from City College of New York and received his sixth tear administrator certificate from Fairfield University.

Additional professional activities include The Arts and Passion Driven Learning at Harvard and The Writing Project at Columbia University Teachers College, according to the district.