By Rita Christopher, Courier Senior
Correspondent:
There’s a lot new
about a new school year–new books, new classrooms, new teachers, and in the
case of the students at Chester
Elementary School, a new
principal, Michael Barile.
Mike, too, knows
about new.
“It’s a new
experience for me; I’m definitely excited,” he says.
Mike follows Hank
Stockmal who retired after 13 years as Chester
principal. Hank continues to work part-time for Regional District 4 as
coordinator of several district-wide programs and as a facilitator for new
teachers.
The Chester
Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization will host a Meet the New
Principal Night tonight, Thursday, Aug. 28, from 7 to 8 p.m., so both students
and their parents have a chance to greet Mike before the beginning of the
school year.
“I’m looking forward
to getting to know the community, getting started and continuing to move Chester forward in
education,” says Mike.
Mike comes to Chester from Colchester, where he was assistant principal
of Jack Jackter Intermediate
School, a facility for
students in grades three through six. Before that he taught a Beecher Road
School, an elementary school in Woodbridge.
Mike’s roots as an
educator, nonetheless, go back farther than his own professional experience.
His father Peter Barile is a teacher and administrator who served as
superintendent of schools in both Monroe and Madison. The Barile family lived
in Madison from
the time Mike was in sixth grade, though his parents have since moved to
Branford. His mother is a pre-school teacher. One of his two brothers is
principal of Milford
High School; the other
brother is a lawyer.
Beyond his own
family, Mike credits his fifth grade teacher Bob Connelly at elementary school
in Durham,
where Mike then lived, with fostering his interest in elementary education.
“Mr. Connelly was a
terrific teacher. My brothers had him, too, and he inspired them,” Mike says.
At Daniel Hand High School in Madison,
Mike was co-captain of the varsity football team, on which he played running
back.
“We had a great
season our senior year; we went 10 and 1,” he says.
Mike was the MVP of
the Coastal Conference and planned to continue to play football at Southern
Connecticut State University. A shoulder injury, however, caused him to sit out
freshman year. After that, he says, his interests changed.
“I thought it was
time to focus on my studies,” he says.
In addition to his
undergraduate degree, Mike has a master’s degree in education and sixth-year
degree in administration and supervision from Southern
Connecticut.
He is still a
football fan.
“It’s always been
the Giants,” he says, but his favorite player comes from the Chicago Bears, the
late running back Walter Payton.
“Not only because he
was a great player, but because he was a great human being,” Mike explains.
With the exception
of golf, Mike says his sporting life at present consists mostly of throwing
around a baseball with his three sons, Mike Jr., 8, Gavin, 5, and Gabe, 4.
“They’re not really
into football yet,” he says. Mike’s wife, Jill, is a Realtor. The family lives
in Higganum.
Golf, however, is
another story. This year, Mike had a memorable moment: he broke 80 for the
first time ever.
“I saved the ball
and I have the score card somewhere,” he admits.
Mike says that among
the challenges of the elementary grades is making sure that academic and social
development proceeds apace. He says that performance-based standards are
important in all areas of the curriculum.
“We need to know we
are delivering what should be delivered at each grade level,” he says.
The Connecticut
Mastery Tests, given in grades three through six, are an important part of
performance assessment as a whole, but only one part, Mike emphasizes.
“They are a piece of
the puzzle but we want to use other indicators as well for an overall picture,”
he notes.
Mike, who is 32,
says that he has already had experience working with a staff where people he
supervises are older than he is.
“I’ve been in an
administrative position for the last three years and I performed evaluations.
It’s a matter of treating everybody professionally, working from their
strengths and focusing on positives,” he says.
On the subject of
focus, Mike says he has not yet had time to focus on one thing that some
students start thinking about in July.
“I have absolutely
no idea what I will wear on the first day of school,” he says.
Still, his instinct
tells him to go with the tried and true.
“Probably it will be
slacks, a blue blazer, a white shirt, and a tie,” he says.
Meet the Principal
Night: Thursday, Aug. 28 from 7 to 8 p.m. at Chester Elementary School,
23 Ridge Road.
For more information, call 860-526-5797.
Pictured: Chester Elementary School’s new principal
Michael Barile is ready for the first day of school.
Photo by Rita
Christopher