TOWNSHEND — After an extensive search and interview process, current Assistant Principal Dana Aquadro has been named the new principal of Leland & Gray Union Middle and High School. He will start in that role on July 1.
A Vermont native who has lived here throughout his life but for one year post-college in Portland, Maine, Aquadro earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in education from Keene State College and his administrator's certificate from the Upper Valley Educators Institute.
He says when he met his wife Carla, the couple “decided the area was - and still is - a great place to raise a family.” Aquadro has two children in college. He enjoys exercising and the arts, including literature, film, cooking, and music.
He joined the Leland & Gray community in July 2022 and, as assistant principal, he has spent this school year “using his expertise as an educator to connect with students and support teachers.”
Aquadro is a proponent of “personalized and experiential and project-based learning” and values “the individuality” of each student.
He previously worked at Bellows Falls Middle School for 27 years as an English teacher and assistant principal from 2018 to 2022.
Aquadro's focus as a teacher there was “to make learning more enjoyable,” he says, adding that he would challenge himself to devise “new ways to approach teaching English and to make the process more creative and engaging for students.”
He will start his tenure as principal by “creating a culture of kindness and support so that students are able to explore possibilities for their future and give students a variety of opportunities to develop the skills they need to be successful.”
“Conversations with students about the value of learning and how it connects to their lives should be continuous,” Aquadro says. “Working collaboratively, students, staff, and community will continue changing Leland & Gray into the school of their dreams.”
Asked what challenges and successes he's seen and is facing, the new principal says since joining the Leland & Gray team, he has noticed “a few typical challenges and many successes.”
“The students at Leland & Gray are awesome,” he says. “They are actively involved with helping the school be its best by sharing what is working and what they would like to see improved.”
“The staff is incredibly dedicated,” he continues. “They work hard for students and the school. Equally impressive is the loyal support the community has for the school. At school events, the bleachers are filled with not just parents, but alumni, too.
“Leland & Gray has a long history of innovating and offering an excellent education. Being offered the principalship is an exciting honor, considering Leland & Gray's reputation in Vermont,” says Aquadro.
The principal-to-be says that at the school, “we are paying close attention to our students' needs and evolving our responses to support them coming out of the pandemic.”
West River Education District Chair Al Claussen says Aquadro “brings a wealth of hands-on classroom experience to this next phase of his career.”