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Central Middle School Principal Accepts Darien Position

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Central Middle School (CMS) Principal Shelley Somers has accepted the position of Principal of Middlesex Middle School in Darien, effective for the 2016-2017 school year. Her last day with the Greenwich Public Schools will be Aug. 25. Principal at CMS since 2009, Ms. Somers said, “Central will always hold a special place in my heart. I will miss the school community and working with my colleagues across this outstanding school district. I am looking forward to working a little closer to home and am excited for the opportunity to join the Middlesex Middle School community.”

Deputy Superintendent Dr. Ellen Flanagan said, “Shelley Somers has been a tremendously positive influence in her seven years at Central Middle School.  A hallmark of Ms. Somers’ tenure as a Greenwich administrator has been her advocacy for her students and their families.  Under her leadership CMS has established a data team process at both the teacher and school level that is a model for the rest of the district.  These teams gather and analyze student performance data in order to guide instructional decisions.  Ms. Somers initiated a Parent University program that gathered resources from a wide variety of Greenwich organizations to help parents support their children’s emotional, physical and academic growth. Ms. Somers has worked collaboratively with her peers to create a vibrant and rigorous middle school experience for our students, that includes leadership development and social, emotional well-being.  Ms. Somers is an extraordinary educator whose dedication, commitment, and instructional expertise will be greatly missed.”

The search for an Interim Central Middle School Principal is underway. The search for a permanent Principal will be conducted at the start of the hiring season in January 2017.

Bio Brief: Shelley Somers

Ms. Somers joined the Greenwich Public Schools in 2009 as Principal of Central Middle School. She also served as leader for the GPS Middle School Network representing her peers in this District-wide collaborative planning structure. Nominated by the CMS PTA, Ms. Somers received the CT-PTA’s Middle School Principal of the Year Award in 2015. As Principal of CMS, she has been a student-centered and collaborative leader, and a staunch advocate for developing programs and practices for meeting the unique needs of middle school students.

Prior to joining the Greenwich Public Schools as Central Middle School Principal, Ms. Somers worked for the Beaufort County Schools for ten years as teacher and administrator at the secondary level (1999-2009). In her role as English and Spanish teacher at the Humanities School of Beaufort in 1999-2000 she designed curriculum for both disciplines and created a Drama Department for the school. In 2000, she moved to Battery Creek High School in Beaufort as an English teacher and Department Chair. She was recognized for her significant contributions to the school as the Battery Creek High School 2003 Teacher of the Year. In 2003, she was appointed Assistant Principal for Hilton Head High School, where she was responsible for the English and Social Studies Departments and acted as the ESOL Coordinator. In 2005-06, she taught English at Robert Smalls Middle School for a year, before accepting the position of Head of School of Arts, Communications and Technology at Beaufort High School in 2006.

Ms. Somers is experienced with data-driven decision making and identifying the needs of individual students. She is innovative in her approach to program development and instructional strategies to meet the needs of students, and she has been a consistent and valued advocate for her students.

Ms. Somers received her BA in Education from American University, Washington, D.C. in 1973; her Masters in Education from the University of Hartford, Hartford in 1980; and her Administrative Certification from Central Connecticut State University in New Britain in 1996.

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