Stark School Administrators Are Appointed

The administrators serving as interim principal and interim assistant principal of Julia A. Stark Elementary School since November can now delete the word ‘interim’ from their titles.

Stamford Schools Superintendent Winifred Hamilton announced the appointment of Edith M. Presley as principal and Joseph Claps as Assistant Principal at the June 23 Board of Education meeting.

“Edith and Joe have demonstrated strong leadership throughout their careers here in Stamford,” Hamilton said in a statement. “The overwhelmingly positive reactions I have had from staff and families over the past year were key in my decision to recommend they continue in their leadership roles at Stark for the coming years.”

Presley, a Stamford resident and Westhill graduate, has seven years experience in the district. Prior to her role as Interim Principal, Presley was Assistant Principal at Stark, a position she held since 2012. She has also held the positions of Assistant Director of Special Education Services; Assistant Principal Dolan Middle School; and Individual Learning Needs Coach/504 Coordinator, Northeast Elementary School. Before coming to Stamford, she worked for six years in the New York City Public Schools in the Bronx.

Presley earned a Certificate in Educational Leadership from Sacred Heart University; a Master of Administration in Education from Mercy College; and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Psychology from Grambling State University.

Claps, also a Stamford resident, has 13 years experience in the district. Most recently, Claps was the Administrative Intern at Cloonan Middle School. He taught sixth-grade math at Cloonan, and he was a Fourth/Fifth Grade Teacher and Grade Level Leader at Roxbury Elementary School. Claps has been a Camp Director at Innis Arden Golf Club in Old Greenwich since 2004.

Claps earned a Certificate in Administration from the University of Bridgeport; a Master of Art in Teaching from Sacred Heart University; and Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Connecticut.

Photo: Julia Stark School. Credit: Stamford Public Schools.