New Hires; Karen Gutekanst New Assistant Principal

For the 2013-2014 school season, there will be a few changes in staff in the Shrewsbury Public Schools. 

According to Superintendent of Schools Joe Sawyer, the hiring process is near complete, and changes include new special education paraprofessionals on staff, as well as a new English language arts teacher for grade 7 at the Oak Middle School. 

The former language arts teacher, Karen Gutekanst, will start her new position as assistant principal at the Sherwood Middle School, replacing Michelle Melick, who left to become a middle school principal in Framingham. 

In a letter announcing the change to families, Sherwood Principal Jane Lizotte said, "Karen has been an educator in the Shrewsbury Public Schools for the past 12 years and has taught at the fifth, seventh, and eighth grade levels during her tenure in Shrewsbury. Karen emerged through the hiring process as the strongest candidate for the Assistant Principal position due to her vast experiences at the middle level. Her teaching and leadership experiences strongly contributed to the positive ways in which she was viewed by colleagues, students, and parents during her interview and during her site visit to SMS."

Before her experience in Shrewsbury, Gutekanst was a Jesuit volunteer for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, CA. She has also been involved in the Shrewsbury Writing Project, and the creation and facilitation of the Middle School Summer Extensions Program. She also actively participated on the Oak and Sherwood School councils, and as a parent on PTOs. She graduated with a BA from the College of the Holy Cross and received her Master's in education from Western Connecticut State University.     

"Karen’s understanding and appreciation of the middle level student and the middle level educator are unparalleled," added Lizotte in her letter. "Her consistent commitment to middle level and district students, colleagues, and families is evident in the multitude of ways in which she has been involved in professional development and collaboration experiences including the Shrewsbury Writing Project, curriculum and program development, and the creation and facilitation of the Middle School Summer Extensions Program."