New Principal For Cranford's Livingston Avenue School

CRANFORD, NJ - Cari Lopez has been named the new principal of Livingston Avenue School by the Cranford Board of Education in the latest series of administrative staff changes for the upcoming year.

Lopez replaces Kevin Deacon who has been appointed to take the reins of Hillside Avenue School next school year. For his part, Deacon is replacing Curt Fogas who is retiring after 20 years at the helm of the school. Over at Orange Avenue School, Lori Lubieski-Hutmaker has been named the new principal, succeeding Dr. Marc Edery who resigned effective June 30.

According to Cranford Superintendent Scott Rubin, Cari Lopez as the new principal of Livingston Avenue School. Mrs. Lopez was selected after an extensive search process which included multiple interviews with selection committees, reviews of work samples, and a very thorough reference check.

Rubin said Lopez began her educational career as a fourth-grade teacher in North Brunswick at Livingston Park Elementary School. During her twelve years as a fourth-grade teacher, she served as grade level leader, gifted and talented lead teacher and the summer academy lead teacher. She was also involved in many district wide committees including language arts, cultural awareness, and the curriculum writing and revision committee.

Lopez also served as the district representative to Kean University’s Diversity Council and met with educators throughout the state to help promote cultural awareness and reduce prejudice in schools. In addition, she had the honor of joining a panel of superintendents as a teacher representative with Governor Christie to discuss changes in education. She then moved into administration as an instructional dean at Parsons Elementary School in North Brunswick. Among her many duties, she served as the anti-bullying specialist and led efforts in promoting social-emotional learning. Over the course of four years, she worked to establish restorative practices to effectively handle discipline in the school, Rubin said.

Her proudest accomplishment during her time at Parsons was starting a non-tenured teacher support group where teachers received timely and meaningful professional development while building collaborative and supportive relationships, Rubin said.

In January Lopez was hired as an assistant principal at Martin Luther King Elementary School and Washington Elementary School in Edison Township. During her short time in Edison, she built positive relationships with all stakeholders and implemented initiatives that focused on the social and emotional well-being of students, while also enhancing the academic program, Rubin said.

Lopez attended Rutgers University for both her undergraduate and graduate education. She began as a nutrition major on Cook Campus and then switched to education.

Lopez lives in North Brunswick with her husband, Will, and daughters, Stella and Lucy. She is very excited to be named the new principal of Livingston Avenue School and looks forward to working collaboratively with parents/guardians, students, and staff to ensure the success of the Livingston Avenue School community.

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