Mendham Township School District Welcomes New Superintendent Kristopher Harrison

Last night, London and Maddie came home with the following exciting memo from the Mendham Township Board of Education in their "backpack mail":

In the Spring of 2008, the [Mendham Township] Board of Education embarked on a mission to hire a new superintendent. At that time, we solicited input from the community, faculty and staff to determine the qualities each desired in a new leader. After considering that input and undergoing a thorough screening process, we are pleased to announce that Mr. Kristopher Harrison has been appointed to th position of Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Harrison joins us directly from the South Orange/Maplewood School District, a district with over 5, 000students, where he served in a number of capacities, most recently as Principal of Maplewood Middle School for five years. Prior to that , Mr. Harrison served for two years as principal in an elementary school and was a middle school assistant principal for one year in the same district. When in the classroom, Mr. Harrison served as an elementary and middle school teacher in Clinton Township.

Mr. Harrison is noted as a highly regarded administrator who seeks to work in an engaging and collaborative manner with students, faculty, and the community -- key qualities you noted in your feedback. He has also demonstrated that he is a dynamic leader who will bring energy, passion and a sense of commitment to our school system so we can continue to build upon the excellent educational experience we as a community expect and our children deserve. Mr. Harrison has been recognized nationally for his educational leadership abilities by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), by being named an Emerging Leader. In this capacity, Mr. Harrison will collaborate with an international group of leaders to influence education-related legislation.

Mr. Harrison's first day with the district will be November 16, 2008. Through that time, Interim Superintendent Catherine Mozak will continue her great work. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Mozak for her leadership, experience and valuable judgment as Interim Superintendent. Thanks in large part to her, our schools got off to a great start this year and are in excellent position for a seamless leadership transition. Ms. Mozak has been a joy to work with and we will miss her.

Thank you for your Support.
Mendham Township Board of Education

Please join us in welcoming our new Superintendent at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 23, 2008 in the Elementary School Media Center.

I hope I can get a babysitter that evening, as I look forward to meeting our new Superintendent of Schools, Kristopher Harrison. Here's hoping he picks up right where Dr. Christine Johnson left off in her quest for academic excellence in the Mendham Township Schools.

9/19/08 update: Anonymous was kind enough to stop by and leave a link to a Maplewood site where the community is lamenting their loss and praising Kris Harrison's work as a principal there:
http://www.southorangevillage.com/vc/comments.php?DiscussionID=27844&page=1#Item_20