Region 15's Ellen Spark Named Darien Assistant Principal

 students will welcome a new assistant principal when they return to campus in the fall and Middlebury students will be saying goodbye to one.

On Monday, Darien Public Schools announced the appointment of Ellen Spark to the post. Spark will come to Darien from Region 15 (Middlebury and Southbury), where she was the director of guidance. 

She will succeed Donna Russo, who recently retired from DHS after serving as an assistant principal for the last 15 years.

According to a statement from the district, Spark monitored the developmental guidance curriculum, coordinated state and national testing, supervised counselors, and planned special education instruction while working for Region 15.

She also developed an orientation program for incoming freshmen at Pomperaug High School, led the Region 15 strategic planning action team, and chaired a committee that modified the schedule at Pomperaug.  

Spark, who earned a master’s degree in education from Boston University, previously worked in the Amity Regional School District from 2000 to 2008. As director of school counseling, she oversaw guidance department functions including academic services, college placement, guidance curriculum, and professional development.

She also worked previously for the Glastonbury School District as a counselor, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Wellesley Upward Bound as an education coordinator, and at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Mass. as a student activities coordinator.

Spark earned a sixth-year degree in educational leadership from Southern Connecticut State University and a bachelor’s degree in humanities from Lesley College. She has also served on visiting committees to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and on the College Board’s New England Regional Assembly.   

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