East Haven School Board Appoints New Middle School Principal

East Haven middle schoolers will have a new principal to welcome them to class on the . 

Matthew Espinosa was unanimously appointed as the new head of during a Board of Education special meeting on Aug. 2.

Espinosa, a Guilford resident, has served as the assistant principal of in Moodus in the East Haddam School District since 2009, according to his page on the professional networking site LinkedIn.

Ongoing Changes

As part of the district's over the summer, Espinosa will replace former JMMS Principal John Prato who has moved over to Momauguin School, to fill the vacancy left by former Principal Joanne Manginelli.

Manginelli, an East Haven resident, left to take a new post in another school system.

'Outstanding Teacher of the Year'

Prior to his current position at Nathan Hale-Ray, Espinosa served as an English teacher and instructional team leader for the Regional School District 17 from 2000 to 2009.

During that time, Espinosa was named "Outstanding Teacher of the Year" in 2006, according to the minutes of a June 2006 school board meeting.

Other New Administrative Hires

Espinosa's appointment is the second new administrative hire made by the board of education this summer.

In late June, as its new director of pupil services. Wezenski, a Killingworth resident, replaces East Haven's former longtime director Mary Acquarulo who has retired.

The principal position at , however, still remains vacant after the retirement of Karen Schmidt.

Superintendent of Schools Anthony Serio did not immediately return a Tuesday afternoon comment request for this article from East Haven Patch.